By Correspondence
by Eyes-of-Pearl
Summary: REVISE NEW SCENES ADDED! Xover ThirdWatch and ER. It began with a single correspondence which evolves to a story that deals with marriage, commitment, friendship and fidelity. BoscoFaith, CarterDeb. Hints Carby & Luby. COMPLETE!
1. I Prologue

**By Correspondence**

_by: Eyes-of-Pearl_

**Disclaimer: **ER belongs to its respective owners.

**Rating**: K

**Author's Note & Synopsis:** Here, I am taking a break from my Reela fic, "In This Life," to bring you this one. It has been sitting on my desk just waiting to be typed out.

AU. Carter wrote a letter on his wedding night, but it wasn't addressed to his future wife. Hint of Carby.

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**By Correspondence**

I.

She clutched the piece of paper in her hand, as if it was her lifeline. Then again, it had been the catalyst that destroyed the semblance of normalcy in her life.

She always considered herself to be more than the woman that John Carter married. They weren't simply husband and wife, but best friends, competitive intellectuals and compatible colleagues. They've been through a long road before tying the knot, from drug abuse to child births, adoptions and deaths.

For all his wealth, John Carter chose to have a slightly subdue wedding. It was a gathering of friends, many of whom were staff from County. There were a few family members from both bride and groom but many refused to acknowledge the whole affair. Then again, it had been long established that the two intended were blacksheeps of their respective families, so they couldn't care less.

The wedding was held in the Carter Mansion's backyard. Despite the less-than-ostentatious display, he spared no expenses for full catering, rose arrangements and good music. There was a certain elegance to the night with plenty of dancing and of course, the not-too-subtle jokes that she had finally landed John Carter. At the time, she brushed off the comments, because she was already privy to John's rather turbulent history with virtually every blonde that worked at County.

As she reread the letter in her hand, she knew that her simple dismissal of the matter was a mistake. She had been searching for an envelop in one of the desk drawers. Amongst the paraphernalia, she found one that was unmarked and unaddressed. However, there was already something inside. Pulling out the single parchment, she immediately recognize her husband's penmanship. It was the contents that led to her present predicament.

"_You know, I never thought that I would make it to this point of my life - engagement, marriage, commitment, the whole nine yards. You are probably snorting when you read this, because we both know that we discussed the very thing so many times before._

_We came close. I had a ring, the candlelight dinner and a proposal at the tip of my tongue. I wonder whatever happen to us? Where did we go wrong? Where did we go right? Then again, I'm not being fair because we both came with a lot of baggage, but deep down, I can't deny the chemistry. And, if I am being true to myself, there's still the connection between us._

_Now, I know you're going to give me a thing or two about the fact that I'm getting married. Perhaps, that's why you'll never get this letter, because I do love my fiancee, just not in the same way as I love you. But know this, you will always have a special place in my heart, Abby Lockhart forever and always. -Carter."_

Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, blotting the ink on the letter. The letter was addressed the night before their wedding. Despite everything, John married her but Jing-Mei Deb Chen now knew that deep down, his heart was liked the proverbial stars in the sky, it could never be hers.

_End of Part I_

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AN: I am a die hard Jinter fan, so Carby smut is unusual for me, but if anybody thinks that I should continue this, please let me know in a review 'k. Much love.


	2. II The Number Four

**Disclaimer**: ER belongs to their respective owners.

**Author's Note**: This chapter will be longer than the last one. Hope you enjoy.

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II. 

It wasn't her nature to simply jump into conclusions, so she silently watched and listened. She hastily returned the ill-served letter to its original place, down to the bottom of the drawers. It was a test of sorts, three years after the letter was written, she still hoped and waited for John to come to her.

The inkling of doubt hang liked an executioner over a guillotine. She questioned herself when he came home at odd hours of the day, picking up shifts that could have been given to somebody else. Of course, she knew the inconsistency of scheduling within the ER, but then John always gave her explanations, when she wanted to spend the night in or go out together on a rare day-off together. "No, Deb, there are board meetings. Kerry is making me pull a double. Susan really needs this day off because her sister is back in town." Other times, he would absentmindedly kiss her on the cheek as if that was the key to solving all problems. "C'mon Deb, you know how it is at work. I'll make it up to you."

For the three years, she allowed those words to convince her. John with his charming smiles and vivacious brown eyes, more often than not, won her over. She loved him but then, she missed having him to herself. Before he made a special effort just to be Mr. and Mrs. Carter, but now John was never simply her husband alone. He was Carter the Chief Resident, the doctor, the friend to everyone at County.

The line between what constituted work and home became obscure. They used to be able to read each other so well. However about a year or two into the marriage, John expected that everything to remain status quo, because she was Deb, the best friend and wife. Now, they were lucky if they talked about anything besides work.

Their daily lives became a habitual routine. When they worked different shifts, one of them would get up with the alarm clock, while the other stayed in bed. A cursory kiss on the cheek would suffice until they either met up at work or when they saw each other at home again. When they were working the same shift, then they would take the El train together. Sometimes, one of them would drive but silence became their constant companion until she saw the grateful site of the emergency bay.

The thrill of sharing one's marital bed lost itssignificance. There were the usual excuse of being fatigue and stressed but then again, if husband and wife barely saw each other more than five minutes each day in the same house, it was hard to engage in any activity.

Still, she hoped until the name "Abby" came up in conversation. Abby and Luka hooked up a few months after her and John's own wedding. Luka and Sam had a fallout, while Abby and Luka rekindled their flame and decided to elope on an island off the Dominican. Now, they were going to have their first baby together.

Deb wasn't resentful of the joys regarding Abby's impending motherhood. The Chinese doctor knew the trepidations of balancing a baby along with a career. She was just disappointed that John never mentioned being a father with her. Not only that, John had began to spend more time with Abby who was now eight months along. "She's having a bad time, Deb. Luka has to go back to Croatia and there's no way that Abby can travel in her condition. The least that I can do is to be there for her."

"But John -"

"Abby's a friend, Deb. I can't just leave her when Luka isn't around. You understand, don't you?"

That was the end of the discussion. He hadn't really let her answer. Deb wondered if John was always liked this before she found the letter. With each uncertainty, her doubts festered, but when she tried talking to him, he gave her a rather incredulous look.

"I love you, Deb. You know that don't you?" his words came out as a well-versed mantra before sealing them with a kiss on the cheek.

At times, she did know that as she eyed the date for their upcoming anniversary - four years of being Mr. and Mrs. Carter.

For Chinese people, the number four is ill-fated, because it is phonetically similar to the Chinese word signifying death. For Jing-Mei Chen, she was stood up on her fourth anniversary. They had originally planned for a night out of the city on one of John's private jets - one of the rare times he made use of his wealth. However, she received a single call on her cell after waiting over five hours.

"Deb - "

"John, where- "

"Abby gave birth to twins! Luka's here right now, but twins!"

"John."

"Oh, I'm supposed to call Neela, but I just wanted to let you know the good news."

With that, she was met with a dial tone and no words of apology. She spent the rest of the time alone in the jet, while it coasted through the Midwest as it was previously intended. The solitude gave her the necessary means as she contemplated the precipitating events and the current letter that was in her hand.

Unlike the one that John wrote on their wedding night, this was on a separate matter entirely. It was from a hospital in New York City who was offering her a temporary position as Chief Resident in their ER. It was only for a year, but they were willing to put up half of her travel expenses, in addition to helping her find an apartment. It was out on a whim when she applied because she didn't think that she was going to be offered a job. She had lost her opportunity at County years ago because she didn't have enough hours put in during her pregnancy. She did not resent John succeeding the position, but nobody could deny the fact that this was a wonderful opportunity. She had intended to discuss the matter with John tonight, but he couldn't even be there for her on their wedding anniversary.

He came home the next night from the hospital. She had been playing the grand piano, a birthday gift from John. Her musical talents was one of the few things that she and her parents agreed. She loved classical music for each piece was wrought with such ferocity. Differences of each note could evoke another emotions. Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was one of her favourites but tonight, its melody offered no comfort as her mind was too preoccupied with the fact that she had accepted New York's offer by email only a few hours before.

She wanted to tell him that night, but one kiss from him and a single apology from him still her words. Tear fell as she walked away from his outstretched arms, "I can't stay."

He let her go without a fight and she hardened her broken heart as to her decision. She had already discussed it with Kerry extensively. Jing-Mei had approached her initially prior to submitting an application. Both women recalled their past differences about the Chief Residency position. They had moved on as Kerry wholeheartedly and sincerely offered her hand to the black-haired woman and said, "Good luck, Jing-Mei. County won't be the same without you. New York won't regret taking you on. You're a great doctor."

Jing-Mei was truly touched and smiled as she returned the sentiments. "Thank you. You have no idea what it means to me."

The older woman nodded and said, "I think I have an idea. Remember, you will always have a welcomed place here at County."

Hearing the praises from Kerry herself, Jing-Mei felt that she finally crossed some invisible rift. However, it made her more acutely aware of the fact that she missed her husband. The realization that they had drifted so far apart really hit home as she prepared to board the plane. She kept her plans relatively low key and out of the rumor mill. Kerry was one of the few who knew along with Pratt.

He met her at the airport. He carried leather-bound journal which he offered as a parting gift.

"I know it's corny but I figure you can use it to write down your memories."

"Thank you, it's perfect."

His words caught her off guard. "I'm surprised that Carter isn't here. What does he say about all of this?"

"He doesn't say much about it. As far as I know, he has no opinion on it," she replied truthfully.

"So, he has no problems with you jetting off for a year in a different state?"

"Don't you trust me, Pratt?"

"You know that I do. I'm just surprised that Carter isn't making that much noise about it."

"Actually, he doesn't make any noise about it."

"What you are saying is that he doesn't know," Pratt realized after an awkward silence.

"He will when you give him this letter."

Pratt looked down at her hands and shook his head.

"I don't think I should be get involved in this and you're just going to leave just like that without an explanation?"

Withdrawing her hand, she said, "Believe me, I tried. It's always the same, 'Not now, Deb.' 'I'll make it up to you, Deb.' It's liked we've grown so far apart that the only common thing that we have is County."

"Jing-Mei..."

"I still love him, Pratt, but maybe a year of being physically apart will put some things into perspective. I need to do this for myself. Please just give this to him."

"It doesn't change the fact that I want to kick his arse."

She offered a weak smile. She was going to miss Chicago, "Wish me luck."

Pratt took the offered letter and then enveloped her in his arms and reassured, "You don't need luck because you got all the talent in the world to make a terrific Chief Resident."

_End of II_

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AN: Another chapter. What do you guys think? Is that believable or was it too rushed?


	3. III Carter's Plight

Standard disclaimers applied. See Parts I and II for further details.

**Author's Note**: Thank you for all your interest so far. Honestly, this fic spurred on me so suddenly that I hadn't even plan it all out. I'm just writing as fast as the ideas will come. Hopefully, we'll discover together where it all leads. ;)

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III. Carter's Plight

John Carter had been living a blissful marital existence for the last three years. How many people can say that they married their best friend? Deb filled a certain void in his life. She understood him better than woman ever could. She knew the pressures of his career, his lifestyle and then molded herself to fit his personality. She was always there, ever constant, cool and composed. He could always count on her as a solidifying force in his life.

There were times when he contemplated having kids with Deb. Any children that they had together would contain the best qualities of both parents. Of course, he would have been satisfy with healthy children and hoped to give them a different childhood than the one that he had. The money would be there, but so would the knowledge of parental love and guidance. He vowed that his kids will always know how much he loved them and to cherish them more with each passing day.

While he wanted kids, he did not want to disrupt the equilibrium that he had with Deb. It was steady and unwavering. There was never really a good time to bring up the fact, now that work was getting more hectic. The ever-present staffing issue had become increasingly problematic. Abby was pregnant with Luka's child. She was placed on modified workload during her pregnancy. There were some personal issues that Susan was still trying to take care of. Over the months, it was up to him as Chief Resident to shoulder the burden. It was hard but it was work that needed to be done. Kerry wasn't taking any ifs ands or buts about it. Other staff felt the pinch as well, as everybody took on more overtimes and double shifts to compensate.

He saw less of his own home and more of the walls of the ER. Plans that he made with Deb was pushed back and rescheduled. Their schedules more often than not, did not coincide. Sometimes, she would make plans on a rare day off, but there was always something to do. He missed the presence of his wife but to his regret, it couldn't be help. In his mind, he knew that she would understand, after all, she lived the life of an ER doctor.

Sometimes, he would catch her gazing into the distance and he wonder what was on her mind. He used to be able to read her so well, but now, he could hardly spare a moment before his attention was drawn to other pressing matters.

He was grateful that Deb rarely complained about the arrangement. He would come home, just drowning in the site of her dark midnight hair contrasting against the ivory coloured sheets and pillows. Her lithe form curled up to one side of the bed. She was so peaceful and so content. It brought a soothing presence after a hectic shift. By the next morning, he would wake up to ruffled sheets and a cold breakfast that she had left for him. He wondered if last night even happened.

Abby's due date came sooner than anybody had realized. Luka had to reluctantly left for Croatia two weeks prior for a personal matter, so when Abby unexpectedly went into labour, Carter was there. It was the least he could do because he was truly happy for them. He had called Deb, explaining to her the circumstance. "Abby's a friend, Deb. I can't just leave her when Luka isn't around. You understand, don't you?"

To him, it was perfectly logical. He had been there for Deb when she was pregnant with Michael. He couldn't think of a reason why she would object to him coaching Abby through her labour. After twenty-six agonizing hours, Abby had given birth to twin daughters. Luka made it back to Chicago about two hours after the birth with Carter arranging a few phone calls.

The first person that he called was Deb, then Neela until the news was circulating through the entire ER staff. Both Luka and Abby thanked him. "Thank you John for everything." The two men knew that it was another turning point in their friendship.

For Abby, she had finally moved on and was now officially on her lifelong journey as a mom. "I appreciate the fact that you stayed. I think you saw more of this hospital than your own home. What would Jing Mei say?"

"Deb would understand."

"She's more forgiving than I ever be, if she has to put up the lights of you."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?"

"I doubt that I would ever let Luka miss our wedding anniversary for an ex-girlfriend, no matter how close they are."

"What?"

"The whole time that you have been here, all you talked about were the plans for your wedding anniversary. You know the plane, the dinner, the night sky ... it helps when you are stinking rich."

He nodded weakly, as his body went numb. The rest of the conversation was lost on him as he made a quick exit.

He came home to find the mansion bathed in complete darkness and silence, except for the faint haunting melodies of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata coming from the music room. Mentally, he berated himself. He knew that Deb was too practical for him to shower her with conciliatory gifts and flowers. The only thing that he could offer was an apology.

He walked in on the scene with the silhouette of his wife bathed in the glow of the full moon, as she sat with her eyes closed. Her deft fingers skillfully manipulated the grand piano. He had bought it for one of her birthdays. As he often was, Carter was enraptured by the mere sight of his wife. Thought he was afraid to break the spell, Deb had already sensed his presence in the room.

She looked up suddenly, stilling the music as her gaze penetrated his own. She had been crying and he was even more sorry for his neglect. "Deb. I'm sorry. I can't offer you anything in an apology except for myself."

He walked closer to her but she only cried harder. He leaned forward to kiss her, hoping to convey his meaning by his action. She only walked away and he dropped his arms as if he had been burned. He knew that she was angry and upset. He watched helplessly as she walked away from him, "I can't stay," she murmured.

Her voice was so low that he could barely catch her words. "Please don't go," he called back to her, but he realized that it was too late she was already gone.

End of III


	4. IV A Note for My Husband

Standard disclaimers applied. See Parts I and II for further details.

**Author's Note**: Thank you all for your lovely reviews from the last chapter. Here is another short one, but I promise that there will be longer chapters ahead!

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IV. A Note for my Husband

He barely slept that night but when he woke up, Deb had already left. He knew that she was working early that day. Showering and grabbing a coffee on his way out, he was trying to think of a way to talk to Deb.

He missed her for the greater part of the morning. His shift didn't start for a few hours, but Jerry informed him that Deb was off to see Kerry. "Something's up with those two, but who knows."

John nodded and said, "I'm just going to catch a few more hours of shut-eye before my shift starts. Let Deb know that I'm here when she comes out."

It was a few hours before the two women emerged from Kerry's office. Despite what he said to Jerry, John was only tossing around the bed. If he could not sleep at home, he doubt that he could on a standard hospital bed. A series of trauma prevented them from talking and she made sure to stay away from different rooms while treating patient. She was only working half a shift, so he had a chance to corner her in the med room. "Deb."

"I can't stay, John."

She used the same words as she did the night before. "Deb, please."

"Don't do this."

"Do what?"

"This. You can't just expect everything to be ok, just because of a single apology."

"What?"

"John. I have patients waiting for me. I can't stay."

Before he could ask for an explanation, he was already seeing the familiar sight of her back. He didn't see her at the end of her shift. The words 'I can't stay' stuck with him the whole day, until he was so distracted that Kerry sent him home. "Go home, Carter. You're no use to me here. I know that it is a big adjustment with Jing-Mei. I'll miss her too."

He didn't know whether he was more shock as to Kerry's admission or the fact that she knew about their fight. Since when did Deb shared with Kerry her personal issues? Pratt had walked into the lounge at the last part of Kerry's comment. His expression was guarded, but then he made a show of going to his locker to grab his stethoscope.

John was about to follow Kerry when Pratt halted his steps. "Carter."

"Not now, Pratt."

"No, this is important."

"Pratt."

"Carter, this is important."

Pratt insisted, so Carter allowed himself to be led up to County's rooftops. It was a chilly outside but they weren't there to admire the view. "Here," Pratt said as he handed Carter a single white envelope.

"What is it?"

"I had nothing to do with this. I don't know what she said, but Jing-Mei wanted me to give this to you."

"Deb? Why would she give ..."

"Just read it, Carter. This is between you and her. I'm just the unwilling messenger in this sorry business."

Pratt stilled whatever words that Carter was about to say by holding up his hand, "Before you ask any questions, just read it."

"_Dear John,_

_By the time that you read this letter, I will probably be on the plane on my way to New York. Before you ask what I'm doing in a different state altogether, let me explain. I have been offered a temporary year-long position as the Chief Resident at the Angel of Mercy Hospital in New York. (1)_

_You're probably wondering why I never told you. Well, the reason is that you are never there, either physically or emotionally. While I understand that work is stressful and hectic, I can't but feel that I have lost my husband in the process. How often do we sit down together just talking about the mundane without involving work? How often do we kiss, not out of routine but for the very pleasure of kissing? How often do we spend the time just being Mr. and Mrs. Carter?_

_Every time I try to talk to you, it is always the same. 'Not now Deb. I'll make it up to you, Deb. You understand don't you, Deb?'_

_I don't understand, John, but I never got the chance to tell you so. I can't even let my husband know how much I love him on our wedding anniversary because he is stuck attending to somebody else's wife's labour. While I don't envy Abby's motherhood, I envy her for the fact that she holds the heart of two men who obviously love her very much._

_I do love you, John, but I can't compete with the unattainable. Perhaps, it is best that we put some physical distance between us, as we bring our marriage back into perspective._

_Yours, Deb."_

End of IV

AN: Angel of Mercy Hospital - I think this is the name for the fictional hospital featured in the show, "Third Watch." I know for sure that it was called Mercy Hospital ... but anyways Third Watch doesn't belong to me. The reason that I have it is because ER and TW are set within the same timelines and I'm thinking of doing a brief TW and ER crossover.


	5. V Pratt's Story

Standard disclaimers applied. See Parts I and II for further details.

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the reviews. Another quick chapter but be sure to read the note at the end of the chapter.

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V. Pratt's Story

Carter reread the letter at least three times and in that time span, Pratt had made a silent exit. The words 'I can't stay' reverberated in his mind. He heard the stories of men who came home to an empty house, only to find that their wives had left them. Then again, he had seen enough single mothers who were left to raise children by themselves because the father of the baby had commitment issues. He wondered what myriad of emotions that these people felt. He would imagine it was something to the effect of shock and disbelief, anger, guilt, blame and hurt. He reread the letter, hoping the words would penetrate his consciousness.

It wasn't fair that Deb just assumed that he didn't love her, and she just naturally decided to get up and leave without a forewarning. She said that he hadn't been there for her, either physically or emotionally, but couldn't she understand the fact he wasn't physically possible to do so.

He thought about the early responses from both Pratt and Kerry. He now realized that they had prior knowledge of Deb's decision to take the Chief Residency position in New York. To him, it was justified that Kerry knew about this arrangement, but he wondered why Deb told Pratt.

-o-o-

The moment that Pratt caught the glance of the older doctor, he knew that some sort of confrontation would ensue. He was already prepared for it, when Jing-Mei gave him the letter. He hated the fact that he was being caught in the middle of somebody else's marriage. Being the messenger to any kind of relationship wasn't what he considered to be the perfect side job.

Carter had the forethought not to create a scene right there in the ER. The two men took the familiar path from the emergency bay, until they reached the corner stand that sold hot dogs and cans of pop. Neither of them were very hungry or thirsty, but they both grabbed something for the sake of getting something. Pratt hated small talk and so plunged straight to the line of questioning.

"Alright Carter, ask whether it is you have to ask but let me get this straight with you, I had nothing to do with Jing-Mei writing that letter. I have no idea what's in it. Frankly, I don't really care."

"Tell me, how long have you known?"

"Know what? You have to be a little bit more specific."

"That she was planning to go New York."

"Not long. I know she mentioned having a new posting for a couple of weeks. I didn't think anything of it, until she told me last night that she was leaving."

**Flashback**

He just got off at midnight when he saw the familiar sight of Jing-Mei leaving the staff lounge with a large shopping bag in her hand. He called out and caught up next to her.

"I didn't know you were working tonight."

"I'm not. I'm just grabbing some stuff," she explained while holding up her bag as an explanation.

He stared down at her upturn face, as if searching for further explanations from her chocolate-coloured eyes. The darkness obscured her features and she shifted under his gaze. "Are you heading home right now?" he asked.

"Yeah, more or less. And yourself?"

"Yes, but I always have time for you. You feel up for a coffee or something?"

"Not a coffee but hot chocolate sounds nice right now."

On their way to a little diner not far from County, he talked about his day. It didn't take long for him to figure out that there was something else on her mind. "Alright, tell me what's wrong?" he asked when their drinks were placed before them.

"It's ... complicated."

"That's bull, Jing-Mei. You know that doesn't constitute an explanation."

"I'm leaving, Pratt."

"What?"

"I'm leaving. Remember that position in New York that I told you about? Well, I got it."

It took him a while for him to digest the information. He was thrilled for her until he fully comprehend the implications of it.

"But -"

"I'm leaving tomorrow. They're desperate to fill in the position, so I already told Kerry that I was taking the year off."

"But-"

"No buts, Pratt. If you want to meet me at the airport tomorrow, my flight leaves at one in the afternoon."

Before he could get in another word, she had already grabbed her bags and leaving behind her untouched cup of hot chocolate.

**End Flashback**

"I guess that she worked only half the day. She managed to get last minutes tickets out to New York and the hospital over there already has accommodations set up for her. Anyways, she didn't tell me much, except for me to get this letter to you."

Pratt studied him for awhile before he boldly remarked, "She still loves you, no matter how much she's hurting right now. She didn't make this decision out on a whim because she felt like it."

"Well, she could at least give me some sort of explanation."

Pratt suddenly got angry, "Are you kidding me? I don't know what the heck happen between the two of you, but Jing-Mei told me that you haven't been around for goodness how long for her to have a decent conversation with you."

"I think that this is any of your business, Pratt."

"I may not have went to medical school with either of you, but I know Jing-Mei long enough to figure out that she hadn't been really happy for awhile. With you making puppy-dog eyes at Abby every other minute, it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."

"What are you saying, Pratt?"

"Think about it, Carter."

With that, Pratt turned back into the direction of County, leaving a speechless John Carter behind to contemplate his words.

End of Part V

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AN: In case anybody is confused, here is a condensed timeline of the events so far. Everything is rushed but you're going to get Deb's reaction to everything in the next chapter.

Four years ago wedding night: Carter wrote a letter to Abby, basically saying that a part of him still loves her, despite marrying Deb.

Four years later a couple of months before her 4th wedding anniversary: 

Deb finds the letter written by John.

Deb contemplates the position from New York for a chief residency position.

On the Carter's 4th wedding anniversary: 

Carter forgets the matter entirely as he was helping with Abby's pregnancy.

Abby gives birth to twins.

Deb is stood up and received a call from John. This was the final catalyst for her to accept New York's offer that night via email.

On the Carter's 4th wedding anniversary (that night): 

Deb sees Pratt as he was leaving from his shift and she was at County grabbing a few things. She tells him of her impending departure. Later on that night, Deb tells John that she 'can't stay.'

Next day

Deb works half a shift and talks with Kerry, before meeting Pratt at the airport for her flight.

There, she gives Pratt a letter for John. John is distracted, until he and Pratt had a talk.


	6. VI Deb's Story

Standard disclaimers applied. See Parts I and II for further details.

**Author's Note**: I am sorry for the lateness of the update. I have three ongoing fics without an ending in sight, plus the fact that my birthday is coming up (I won't say when or how old I'll be turning), I'll be busy for a bit. Anyways, thank you all for your continual support and I promise the next chapter will be out next week!

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VI. Deb's Story

Deb always counted herself blessed to have great friends around her: Pratt, Neela, Ray, Susan and even Kerry. She loved her job at County and even though, she once tried leaving medicine, but that proved to be futile. Medicine was in her blood - a passion as well as a profession.

Now, as she sat in her first class seat, listening to a rendition of Chopin's Waltz No 10., No.2 in B Minor, OPUS 69 on her headset, her thoughts drifted to the events that happened within the last few days. In one sense, she had left her husband of four years, but in another, she was just going to New York for a year while taking a new position.

Initially, she was apprehensive about New York's offer. She knew that her experience was enough credentials for her to be at least eligible for the position. After discussing it with Kerry, she was surprised at the older woman's offer in writing a recommendation letter.

On the other hand, Deb knew that the consequences would meant having to move away from home and away from her husband for a year. It would be a huge transition and that thought really held her back. However, after finding John's letter so many months before and then having him missed their anniversary was the real driving force in her decision making. It wasn't the single act alone, or the lack of apology, but it was about the principle of the matter.

She trusted her husband to be faithful physically but emotionally, she knew that a part of John still carried a torch for Abby. All her insecurities and self-doubts manifested threefold as she imagined them together. Liked any other women, she didn't want to be the rebound girl, or the safety net just because she was conveniently available. Was it so much to ask for to be showered with attention once in awhile by her husband?

That's why New York was such a wonderfully opportunity. It was a step-up in her career, no matter how temporary it was. New York was a beautiful city and she was as much of a city-gal as the next one. The people at Mercy Hospital had already arranged for a furnished apartment and was willing to pay for half her ticket to come. She notified them of her acceptance via email. It helped that Carter's private jet had a wireless connection.

After getting off the plane that was intended for flying her and John through the Midwest for their anniversary, she made a few phone calls for the next flight out to New York. She took advantage of using the Carter name and within a few minutes, secured herself on a first-class flight out of Chicago for the following day.

Afterwards, she was on her way to County. Despite the lateness of the hour, she found Kerry easily enough. However telling her had been difficult, but she was understanding of the fact and had already been making preparations. "I knew you were going to get the offer, the moment you asked me in this very office."

There needed to be no other words, as they had already settle their differences. On the way out, Kerry called back to her and say, "Jing-Mei, always remember that you have friends here at County."

"Thank you, Kerry and I'm going to count you as one of them."

She left to clear out stuff from her locker and was surprised to see Pratt who was getting off work. He invited her out for a cup of coffee. She wanted to decline his offer but then realized that it was only fair for him to know of her decision. She could hardly follow along with his narrative of his day, but she knew that she had his complete attention when she announced her intentions to leave County.

She barely allowed him to get in another word because she knew that he was smart enough to figure her real reason for leaving Chicago so abruptly. He didn't fail to surprise her when he showed up the next day at the airport with a gift and his acute observation about the state of her marriage.

Despite the hurt that she was feeling right now, she still loved John and she felt badly for leaving so abruptly with hardly an explanation. Most women would have told off their husbands in an eruption of anger, hurt and sadness. However, she had been hurting too long and too disappointed for a complete fall out. She guessed that inside she knew that she couldn't change people by only loving them.

The only thing that maintained to her was to salvage her own dignity and self-respect. She did so by sidestepping John's attempts to talk to her in the morning. She knew that she was putting Pratt in a bad position for being the messenger of ill news, but she couldn't get over the fact that it wasn't a matter that could be brush aside by a single kiss or an apology alone.

'Change is good and I'm ready for it.' She repeated the words dutifully, not really sure if the mantra was truly convincing even to herself.

End of Part VI


	7. VII The New Chief Resident

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: As mentioned at the end of Part IV, I'm thinking of doing this as a Third Watch crossover. I'm just going to be incorporate a few characters from TW because a lot of the themes such as marriage, friendship, commitment are common in this story and the original storyline.

Don't worry for those who are not familiar with the TW series, I would try to write it in such a way that won't leave you guys confused. Those who read some of my other fics, will know that I like doing crossovers and mixing up the sequence of events. ;) Of course, Third Watch doesn't belong to me either.

**Rating**: K+

* * *

VII. The New Chief Resident

Officer Maurice Boscorelli, "Bosco" was definitely not in the mood. The entire shift started horribly. He was late, no news there, but the fact that he had to face a verbal reprimand in Lieu's office with a not-too-subtle warning that his pay check was going to take a steep dive if he didn't get his act together. Whatever got Lieu all riled seemed to contagious, because the first call that 55-David responded to was a domestic violence. He hated those calls, where no-good-husbands went around beating their wives or girlfriends. Along with his partner, Officer Faith Yokas, they went up to the stated address on the corner of Chesterfield and Woodward.

They knocked, but received no answer. One strategic kick brought the door down. A woman was bleeding profusely on the living room floor and a man was seen running out of the house. Bosco gave chase as Faith put in the call for a bus. The man was fast but Bosco was faster with the will of adrenalin and ego pushing him forth. Still, the man put up a struggle, taking an utility knife out as Bosco cornered him to a dead end.

"Freeze, jagoff! Drop your weapon and put your hands behind your back."

The man was proven to be persistent or extremely foolish as he made a mad dash towards the officer, waving his weapon. He got a lucky slash at Bosco's left arm before he was forced face-down on the ground and his rights read to him.

Of course, Bosco's day didn't end there when Faith found out that he had been injured during the apprehension of the perp. "Bosco, you're bleeding."

"It'll clot, Faith. I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Yeah, you do. You'll probably need to get stitches."

"You're not a doctor."

"Last I checked, you weren't either. Lets go."

55-David met up with 55-Edward outside Mercy Hospital. They were just coming in from a traffic accident. Bosco was ushered in, being a frequent visitors to the ER. Most were already immune to his complaining and weren't affected by his denials that he needed medical treatment.

-o-o-

Jing-Mei started her first shift at Angel of Mercy Hospital that morning, set through meeting upon meeting for administrative work and then toured the hospital. They were all tedious work but necessary. A lot of the setup was the same, and she got a feel of the staff. Most were welcoming. Others were wary, but overall, they were just glad that the position was filled by somebody. Mary Proctor was the head nurse, who shook her hand warmly, though Jing-Mei could still sense the other woman's apprehension.

Jing-Mei was determined, after all, medicine was still medicine. ER was still ER, no matter where you were. She got into the swing of things when a couple of traumas pulled into emergency bay. She put in orders for CBC, CT scans and urinalysis as she did on any case. She signed her name with a flourish as she handed the chart back to the waiting nurse. There was a bit of a commotion when she headed back to the desk, but she paid no mind to it. The sight of police officers, and EMS crew were familiar to her. She could not help the rolling of eyes and knowing glances that the nurses exchanged. Like in County, she didn't doubt for a moment that a rumor mill existed here at Mercy as well.

She grabbed the nearest chart before skimming the history of the patient. Her eyebrows shot up briefly at the extensive description of injuries and surgeries. Taking a moment to compose herself, she opened the door to Room 1 and introduced herself to one, Maurice Boscorelli.

-o-o-

It was no secret that he hated hospitals. He never had good experiences with them and it was a pain in the butt that Faith made him go see a doctor. He heard the door to admit the doctor and Bosco prepared himself to argue with the customary Dr. Fields. However instead of the regular ER doctor, a Chinese woman stood at the entrance.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Jing-Mei Chen and I would be your doctor for today. You must be Officer Boscorelli."

"Don't tell me that they send some rookie medical student to give a suture."

Whatever Jing-Mei expected her patient to say, it certainly wasn't this from some police officer that she had just met. For someone who take pride in her work and her profession, she could not help but feel insulted. Glancing at his chart, she merely scoffed and said, "Sorry Officer Boscorelli, but you are stuck with me for the next few minutes while I take a look at your wound."

"Listen doc. I don't give a care of what some medical student has to say about my wound and I certainly don't need for you poking at me like some guinea pig."

"And, I will have you know that I am the current Chief Resident of Mercy Hospital and my days as a medical student has long been put behind me. However, you are right about one thing. You certainly don't need to be poked around like some guinea pig because I am already finished. Just sign the discharge papers on your way out, Officer."

This was one of the few times in his life that Maurice Boscorelli was rendered speechless by somebody other than his partner, Officer Faith Yokas. He was surprised to walk out of the exam room with fresh set of stitches and minimal pain.

-o-o-

"So who is this new doctor that they have around here."

"A Dr. Chen, I think. Mary Proctor was just telling me about her. It seems that she just started."

"Is she any good, Faith?"

"Don't know, Sul. Dr. Fields isn't available right now, but I heard that Dr. Chen is the new Chief Resident."

"So, some rooky is in there with Bosco, right now."

"Mary was saying that the new doc has some really good credentials, but I don't know how I feel about having somebody new treating Bosco. You know how he is."

"Yes, I know how Bosco - one of these days, he's going to piss off every single doctor and nurse within a three mile radius."

Faith could only roll her eyes, because she was by now, used to the comments made by Officer John Sullivan, better known as Sully. She shared a look with Sully's partner, Officer Tyrone Davis, Jr. Davis smiled knowingly at Faith because they both know that beneath the tough demeanor, Sully cared about the people that he worked with.

"I don't think I like her," Sully insisted after a moment of silence.

Davis looked up from the report that he was working on and said, "Who?"

"The new doc."

"How can you say you not like somebody if you haven't met her? Who knows she may be hot."

"Who knows she may be fresh out of med school."

Sully retorted and he had enough spared energy leftover to roll his eyes but before he could chide his younger partner, Bosco came out of the exam room. The two officers from the 55-Edward and Faith tried to read his expression. "You ready to go?" he asked Faith.

"What you don't need any tests? Blood work?"

"No. It was only a mild slash wound."

"Did you get a shot or something?"

"Only stitches."

"And you have no complaints?"

"No. Geez Faith, this isn't twenty questions."

"And you have no complaints about the new doc?"

"No ..."

"She just cleared you just like that?" Faith asked incredulously.

"I'm not dignified to answer that. I'm going to meet you in the car."

The three remaining officers watched as Bosco made his way over to the admission desk. Sully spoke for all of them, "Somebody who could put up with Bosco with minimal fuss, I think I like this new doc already."

End of Part VII

* * *

AN: For those who may be confused about the characters from Third Watch, here is a just a breakdown as they are being introduced.

NYPD

Officer Tyrone 'Ty' Davis and Officer John 'Sully' Sullivan are partners and share the car, 55-Edward.

Officer Faith Yokas and Officer Maurice 'Bosco' Boscorelli are partners and share the car, 55-David.

Lieutenant 'Lieu' Swersky


	8. VIII Winning Them Over

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: This is to provide more background into the characters of TW, mainly Bosco and Faith. Also, I'm interchanging the use of the names, Jing-Mei and Deb. Although, I found it strangely more appropriate to use Jing-Mei when she was in New York and Deb while referring to her with Carter. Make sense?

**Rating**: K+

* * *

VIII. Winning Them Over

55-David made another trip back to Mercy Hospital towards the end of their shift. It was not unusual for them to make several trips to the ER there, especially with Bosco involved. For over eight years, 55-David had seen the ups and downs of Officers Boscorelli and Yokas. Their looks were similar to their temperaments. Night and day they were, he had dark brown hair with matching chestnut coloured eyes, contrasting her fair strawberry blonde.

He came from an abusive family, grew up with the familiar sight of watching his father beating his ma. His brother, Mikey, had now been reduced to nothing more that a drug addict, with connections to known drug traffickers in NYC. He wasn't proud but he was family and Bosco had his pride. That was probably why he became a cop, to do the noble thing and fight crimes. He wasn't perfect, his temper and big mouth more often than not got the worse of him, but his heart was true.

Faith was probably the antithesis of Bosco's macho attitude. She was married to her husband, Fred and a mother of two children, Emily and Charlie. She was always calm and cool, the soothing balm in a heated confrontation. She was what kept Bosco grounded but probably one of the few who understood him better than himself. She wasn't without faults. Her life wasn't as rosy as it appeared to be on the surface. Her obligations to her partner and her job as a police officer often came into conflict with the role as the mother and wife. She couldn't be there for the soccer games or a teenage hormonal episodes because she was called in the middle of the night because of work. Faith Yokas would say in a heartbeat that she loved her family and was devoted to her children, but within that same heartbeat, she would say that she would protect her partner and best friend, Bosco without any reservations.

The two partners separated upon the entrance into Mercy's ER. Bosco did the honours of leading the perp to get checked out while leaving Faith to do the paperwork. She spotted the Dr. Chen at the far side of the admissions desk and decided to walk over to the Chinese doctor.

"Hi Dr ...," the blonde said by catching the other woman's attention.

"Yes, how can I help you, officer?"

"My name is Officer Faith Yokas. I understand that you treated my partner, Officer Boscorelli earlier."

"I doubt treating is an appropriate word, but I did have the opportunity to give him a few stitches. Was there a problem?"

"I know that Bosco can be a handful."

Little did Faith know that Jing-Mei had overheard her earlier conversation with Sully and Davis, and their fears of having somebody 'new' treating their fellow partner. She had finished suturing rather quickly and was on her way back to the desk. The three officers were conversing in the Waiting Room, which was just down the hall from where she was with Officer Boscorelli. While Jing-Mei understood their insecurities of having another doctor, she was tired of being placing judgment on her before giving her a chance.

"I can assure you that Officer Yokas that I am not some medical student fresh out of my study, I would take every measure to ensure the health of my patients. Sorry, please excuse me."

Faith had the decency to blush because she recognized the comment. She knew what it was liked to be somebody new in a different environment. Being a woman cop with a bunch of cops certainly given her an insight about fitting in. She did feel a bit slighted by the Chinese doctor's push-off attitude but a shout from her partner, prevented her from furthering her thoughts.

-o-o-

Jing-Mei mentally slapped herself for being so rude. Wearily, she rubbed her temples. Only her first day and it had been filled with excitement. Besides orientation and then touring in, she had met the infamous Bosco. Somehow, she had won over the majority of the staff at Mercy because she had emerged from the room without so much of a holler. It was notoriously known that Bosco hated hospitals, getting needles but he had such a lengthy history with getting shot, run over, slammed into walls that it was a trial. His partner, Yokas was one of the few who could put up with him.

Her first impressions of him had been less than stellar but she could not dwell on them. Afterwards, she had lost a patient from a MVA case - a severe head trauma and too much blood loss. She had stood over the table, pumping the patient's chest to a flat line. More than four units of blood later, she pronounced him dead. He was only fifteen. She had dealt with a loss before but she once again, felt that her competency was put into judgment.

That was until a couple of the staff, gave her a pat on the back and Mary Proctor came over to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did your best, Dr. Chen. I doubt any other doctor would try so hard."

The Chinese doctor gave a weak smile before admitting truthfully, "Am I still welcome to stay?"

The nurse only smiled and said, "See you next shift, Dr. Chen and welcome to Mercy."

End of Part VIII

* * *

AN: I honestly don't know what this is going but I have been wanting to do an ER/TW crossover for such a long time and I love to explore a Bosco-Faith relationship and of course, Jinter!


	9. IX Parallels

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: Some of the events described are from the original TW series. I have taken the liberties to restructure to sequence of events. Here is my warning to fellow TW fans!

Also, I think that by the end of this chapter, you guys will begin to see the similarities between ER and TW and why I chose the characters that I did. Hence, the title for the chapter and so, enjoy!

**Rating**: K+

* * *

IX. Parallels

It has been a week that Carter came home to an empty house. The moment that he opened the door, he would imagine that Deb would be there. Physically, she may not be, but her very presence permeated the air. When Gamma died, she had left a hefty inheritance to her grandson, the one who decided to stray from the Carter business to become a doctor. The only thing that she couldn't buy him was happiness but Carter would argue that she would have loved Deb. He and Deb had decided to move into the house after their wedding and she sought to make it home. One of the prominent additions was of course, the piano that Carter himself, had picked out. It was one of the more extravagant things that Deb would allow her husband to pamper her with. There were some renovations, an extra bathroom here, different window trimmings there, more shelves for the kitchen. Yet, there were some subtle differences that made it distinctly Deb and John.

Pictures became a huge part of the household. The smiling faces of Deb and John, and their friends at County were objects of an array of snapshots. On the kitchen counter, was Deb's mug that she used every morning when she had her coffee with two milk. There was her lipstick and hair pins next to his razor and toothbrush in the master bathroom. She was a creature of habit, always putting a touch of perfume - Jasmine before leaving the house. Chinese scripts and painting adorned the hallways. She never minded his sports magazines that always seemed to bury the remote control during the rare times they could sit down to watch TV.

All this, Carter was reminded that Deb wasn't in Chicago but in NYC. He had received an email from her the day before, telling him that she was settled into her job. It was a standard note, nothing really endearing and nothing out of the ordinary. She had signed it at the end as "Yours, Deb." He couldn't help but into it, looking for something more.

Was she still his to claim and love? Could he write back and tell her that he missed her and loved her? Only a week had gone by, could he really say that he was a changed man? Then again, he had no idea how he was going to change or where to begin.

-o-o-

She came home to an empty apartment. Everything that she had known in a week had suddenly dissolved with a swing of a door. She found a note and then her knees went numb. She reread it once, but her vision was blurred by the tears in her eyes. Still, she couldn't change the inevitable.

She and Fred had been at odds for many years now: her job, his drinking problem, her absence, his heart problems. Emily and Charlie were in the middle of their parents almost-daily shouting matches. Fred blamed her for not being home for the kids and she shouted back that she needed to work to support the family. She insisted that she loved the children, but he countered that it was Bosco who was her top priority. "It is always Bosco this, Bosco that. Where have you been when the kids needed you, Faith? You are home when they are asleep and half the time, some phone call will walk you up at night and we don't see you for days."

"Don't bring Bosco into this. He is not part of this marriage, Fred!"

"What marriage, Faith? I do all the cooking and making kids lunches. I help them with their homework. When you come home, you are too tired for anything else except crash and sleep. I can't even talk to my wife anymore!"

"What do you want me to do, Fred? You know we can't live with just one paycheck. Being a police officer is just as part of me as being a mother and a wife."

"You could have passed the Sergeant's Exam a long time ago, instead of being a regular beat cop."

"I wasn't ready, Fred."

"That's bull, Faith! Your job is dangerous. How many times are you going to have a gun pointed at you? Can you honestly say that you will come home safe and sound when you walk out of this apartment? You could have a regular desk job and still be a cop instead of patrolling the streets."

Three days ago had been the critical turning point. In an attempt to spend some more time with her daughter, Faith had taken Emily shopping. Liked a typical teenager, she thought the exercise to be a waste of time and totally not cool. Talking had been an useless venture, and Faith would silently admit that she would much rather interrogate a suspect right now. She realized how little that she had missed Emily growing up. With resignation, she led them to a nearby bank.

It was a typical work day. Some were cashing out their checks, another was counting every penny from his change purse. A mother was pushing a baby stroller, while rummaging for her bank card in the other. Emily was just bored and Faith was becoming impatient. Just as suddenly, it all changed.

Three men drew up semi-automatics and proceeded with a full scale hostage and bank robbery. Shots were fired, a male banker and one of the perps were shot and bleeding profusely in amongst the shattered glass. Faith fingered her off duty backup weapon in her purse and tried to conjure a quick but effective way to get out of this mess. Yet with a gun pointed to her head and her daughter's, any plan had to be proceeded with caution. Faith's eyes caught the frightened look of her daughter's before nodding reassuringly. All the while, her deft fingers dialed the numbers for the police.

A wait ensued and Faith prayed that the station could hear the sounds from her cell phone. The gun in her purse was ready to be used, but that was for naught as the perpetrators demanded that everyone emptied all their purses and bags. The blonde thought fast and when the gun was pointed at her, she immediately drew out her cell phone and smashed it against the wall. "There!" she cried, while securing her purse in front of her. The perps seemed satisfied before his gaze settled on the teen next to her.

In the distance, she heard the familiar sounds of sirens. She would later found out that they had traced her phone call had been traced. Her surprise was evident when the perps agreed to allow two paramedics to come in and assess the wounded. She schooled her features to a neutral expression when she saw that Bosco was posing as a paramedic and tagged along with Paramedic Monte 'Doc' Parker. After being for partners for so long, she could read his eyes as he asked, 'You ok?'

Her eyes spoke back, 'Yes, but we need a plan,' as she guided him to look at the fallen debris on the bank floor. They both noted the fallen gun on the floor.

Chaos descended just as quickly, when the perps who had previously took note of Emily decided that he needed a leverage. All Faith saw was the potential that Emily may get hurt and made up a grab for the fallen gun on the floor. Three shots in the chest and the man was dead. She had killed somebody in front of her daughter.

The aftermath was slightly bittersweet. She and her daughter was brought closer by the tragedy and they talked long into the night. Fred had been outraged. "Faith, I had tried to accept the fact that your job is dangerous but then you drag our daughter into this! How close did she come to being shot, Faith?"

Bosco was brought into the conversation again, "And, Bosco? He is a liability and he is dragging everybody down with him."

That had been three days ago and now, Faith came home to an empty apartment and a note saying that Fred was filing for a divorce.

_I can't live like this, Faith. You being in constant and now it's affecting the kids. I'm moving out and I'm taking the kids to my mom's. My lawyer is going to call yours in a couple of days. I'll try to arrange for the kids to see you later._

_Fred_

She laid upon her daughter's bed and cried. She loved her kids with all heart. They were everything to her. Fred dealt a heavy blow and she was scared that she may never see them again. Then, what else did she have left?

-o-o-

Everyday, she counted her blessings and was ever so thankful for the two bundles of joy that was sleeping blissfully in the crib next to her. Tentatively, she reached out to stroke their rosy cheeks. She had many turbulent years leading up to this point. She was now a proud mother to two twin daughters - Sophia Mae and Alexis Marie Kovac. She smiled as her eyes now strayed to the picture just above the baby's crib. A photograph taken shortly after the twin's birth - her husband Luka had his arms wrapped adoringly at the three most important women in his life.

Her husband, she would pinch herself just to make sure it was all a reality. They decided to forgo the traditional wedding and instead decided to elope one day. She never once regretted that. Her thoughts drifted to the wedding that of Carter and Jing-Mei. Theirs was not the stuff from the fairy tales but Abby Kovac nee Lockhart would say the chemistry between the two best friends was something to be envious about.

Carter and herself had a history that could be sold profitably for soap operas. However, she valued his steadfast friendship after their subsequent fallout and then his marriage to Chen. Jing-Mei's unannounced departure from County had raised a few eyebrows. There were a few speculation that there was trouble on the marital front. Others commented on the fact that there was a more lucrative offer available and Jing-Mei took it.

Abby thought that the true reason was both. If there was one thing that Abby could take away from her past, it would be the fact that everyone came with a lot of excess baggage. What failed before was trying to fix everything. Changes won't happen because one wanted it so but she was beginning to see the value of having somebody who was willing to stand on the same side as you without some predetermined purpose. A healthy relationship stemmed from having a mutual goal and purpose and Abby hoped that Carter and Chen would found that for themselves.

End of Part IX

* * *

AN: One of my reviewers had said that (s)he was interested in seeing more Luby scenes. This last part came out of the blue, so hopefully, any Luby fans reading this would be pleased. :) 


	10. X The Fall of 55 David

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: Another chapter, another update. Do enjoy!

* * *

Part X. The Fall of 55-David

It was a while that Jing-Mei met the crew from the third watch shift. She had been alternating between working days and midnights. The times that she had not been in the ER, she had found herself in other units, mainly the OR and ICU. Even though, she was hired as the Chief Resident in the ER, she was brushing up her skills in other areas of the hospital. She would not delusion herself with the idea that she had nothing to prove because she knew from the first day, people were wary of having somebody out of state to fill one of the top position in the ER.

There was the odd time that she found herself in the ER from three in the afternoon to eleven at night. Sully and Davis' 55-Edward had been in and out. She had also acquainted herself with the paramedics, Monte Parker who was better known as 'Doc', Alex Taylor, Kim Zambrano and Carlos Nieto. There were those from the FDNY who frequented the ER as well, but the one person that she had been trying to find were the crew from the 55-David, Officers Boscorelli and Yokas.

That night, she caught the sight of Sully and Davis. Catching her eye, Davis walked over to her and smiled. "Hi Dr. Chen."

"Davis, rough night?"

"Something like that," muttered Sully who had joined his partner at his side.

"Oh?"

"Anti-crime," put in Davis as if that was enough explanation.

An entourage made their way into Mercy's ER. "Speaking of the devil," Sully grunted.

It was then Jing-Mei realized the source of discontentment. Near the head of the pack was Bosco in plain street clothing, walking about two steps behind a raven-hair female. She spared no comments as she strutted her way through the sea of people who parted the way at her approach. At the nurse's station, she barked at Bosco, "Alright Boscorelli, start on that paperwork and I'll go question the suspect."

"But - "

"You wanna be in Anti-crime or not, Boscorelli? Then, git yourself started on that paperwork." She leaned in closer to him and invaded his personal space, but her message was loud and clear as she pressed on her hands on the sides of his waist.

Then just a quickly, she dismissed him with a wave of hand and walked away without a backwards glance. Bosco sighed but avoided any eye contact as he got started on some of the documentation. Davis and Sully shared a look and Jing-Mei spoke for both, "So, that's Anti-Crime?"

"Sergeant Cruz in the flesh," Sully grumbled again.

"What's Bosco doing with somebody like her?" she asked innocently, "I thought he was with Officer Yokas."

"You mean, you haven't heard?" Davis answered incredulously.

Sully shot a look at his partner but he said nothing. He hated gossiping about fellow coworkers especially those from the 55-David. However, Bosco wasn't exactly being discreet about his recent dealings with Anti-Crime.

Davis briefly spoke about the bank robbery and the involvement from Officer Yokas and her daughter. Jing-Mei recalled hearing about on the news and the ER, but she didn't realize the connection with Faith. Davis told the Chinese doctor that Yokas came to work and broke down in the locker room, when she told them (Sully, Davis and Bosco) that Fred had taken the kids and filed the divorce. Bosco had tried to offer comfort but it only made things worse. Faith blamed him for her failing marriage and called him on every bad thing that had ever happened to them. It wasn't pretty but the members of 55-Edward had left during the initial confrontation. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened after that.

Lieu had ordered them both to his office. It ended up being that Faith was given a few days of personal day off. Bosco was sent up to Anti-Crime to help out with some of the cases. Rumour had it that the partners didn't really reconcile because when Faith came back from her leave, she revealed that she was trying for the Sergeant's Exam again. She wanted a stable job because she thought that it would boost her chances in her custody battle. Bosco saw no reason in leaving Anti-Crime with Cruz being the icing on the cake. However, anybody with eyes could tell that she had Bosco practically salivating at the palm of her hand.

"And, needless to say, it has been like pulling teeth around here. Everybody is walking on eggshells waiting for another confrontation to happen. Anyways -"

At this point, Davis' and Sully's radios sounded. "Central to 55-Edward."

"55-Edward here. Go ahead, Central."

Jing-Mei took this as a cue to make her exit as the two officers walked off to answer another call.

-o-o-

That night, Jing-Mei decided to stop at a 24-hour grocery store that wasn't too far from the hospital. She smiled reminiscently as it reminded her of the Jumbomart back in Chicago. She and John had often raided the freezer aisles to satisfy their mutual cravings for mint chocolate flavour ice-cream. It was such a domestic thing to do shopping with one's husband and it was such moments as these that she wondered what John was doing now. She sighed and made a mental note for herself to check her emails tonight. Pratt had said that he was going to email her sometime this week and she didn't want to be hopeful for an email from John.

In her thoughts, she didn't realize that she wasn't controlling the shopping cart in front of her. It crashed into another and Jing-Mei was just about the apologize when she caught the familiar sight of Officer Faith Yokas.

"Officer Yokas!"

The other woman was just as surprised as she was, "Dr. Chen."

"I'm so sorry," the two women said simultaneously.

They blushed, but managed a small smile at each other. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention," Jing-Mei managed to recover first.

"Don't worry about it, Dr. Chen. I don't think my mind is currently on my shopping right now."

"Jing-Mei."

"Excuse me?" The police officer was caught off guard for the second time in the span of less than three minutes.

"I know we didn't get off to a great start, but please, call me Jing-Mei. I'm not at the hospital right now, Dr. Chen sounds very formal."

"Then, you must call me, Faith."

Out of impulse and before she could stop herself, Jing-Mei offered, "Feel up to a coffee, Faith?"

If the blonde was surprised by the request, she hid it well by the smile that graced her lips, "Sure, I think I know just the place."

End of X

* * *

AN: I know it's not really ER-focused right now. I'm trying to establish the relationship in the TW series and then bridge that with Jing-Mei. I will go back Carter and Luby soon.


	11. XI To Share the Burdens

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: I would just like to remind everyone right now that this is a fic that explores relationships and friendships. There will be no slash, so what goes on in this chapter should be strictly interpret as a friendship only!

* * *

Part XI: To Share the Burdens

_Story of my life  
Searching for the right  
But it keeps avoiding me  
Sorrow in my soul  
Cause it seems that wrong  
Really loves my company_

Rihanna - Unfaithful

The two women - one a NYPD police officer and the other an ER doctor had never expected to find companionship over a meeting at a 24-hour grocery store. Yet, here they were, settled down for a coffee at a place close to Jing-Mei's apartment. They had been talking all night, with Faith unwinding the burdens of the last few weeks to a sympathetic ear. Jing-Mei of course, had the syndicated version of it from Davis, but still, this wasn't the same.

Faith told her how Bosco and her erupted in the locker room after the bank robbery. She accused him of things that were partly true and other things that were exaggerated at the heat of the moment. However, it had been too late to retract her words. "It hadn't been Bosco's fault. Fred and I were having problems from the moment that we were married."

Faith told her about being married to Fred at a young age and then having the kids before going back to join the police force. At one point of the conversation, Jing-Mei feeling that the conversation shouldn't been made in a public setting, invited Faith up to her apartment. "I don't have a roommate."

Faith agreed because she simply did not want to spend another night by herself, knowing that her kids won't be there again. The walk up to the apartment was silent, but it wasn't as awkward as their first encounter.

The blonde took an appraising look at the decor of Jing-Mei's apartment. There were still a couple of unopened boxes, but most of the furniture were sophisticated and classy - Alfred Sung adorned the room. The window overlooked some of NYC's tallest skyscrapers, as it allowed the moonlight to illuminate the living room. A couple of pictures of Jing-Mei and another male lined the shelves. "Who is that," Faith asked out of curiosity.

"That's John."

At the unspoken question, Jing-Mei added, "He's my husband."

At this, Faith couldn't help but glance down at the Chinese woman's left hand. The ring finger was bare. Jing-Mei didn't offer another comment, as she then gestured for Faith to sit on the couch. She herself, settled on the loveseat. Wrapping her arms around a pillow, she told Faith the reason for coming to NYC.

"The job had been a wonderful opportunity. Don't get me wrong, I love the people and the staff here. In a lot of ways, things are the same but at times, the dynamic is truly unique. I needed the space and time to think about my marriage. The only thing that I am certain about is that I do love him. I don't think I can ever stop, but I don't want to sound too needy. How would I know how he feels when he's not there half the time? How am I supposed to react when he chooses to his closest friend over his wife?"

Faith whispered, "What happens when you realize that love isn't enough? Where do you draw the line between friendship and love?"

They contemplated this one point, as they both relished this quiet moment. For Faith being one of the few women on the force, did not offer her much of female company. Jing- Mei welcomed another feminine take on things. They were both facing troubles in their respective personal lives, but they understood each other better than either of them ever thought possible.

"So how did you guys meet?"

"What?"

"You and John. How did you guys meet?"

Jing-Mei was initially startled by Faith's question. Faith watched the myriad of emotions on the Chinese woman's face and then raised her eyebrow at the secretive smile on Jing-Mei's face. "What's so funny? I didn't think there was so much humor in the question."

Jing-Mei turned her attention back to the officer in front of her. "Oh, it wasn't supposed to be humorous but it certainly brought back a lot of memories. You see, John and I go way back. We went to medical school together but we were always so competitive. We wanted the best traumas, the best surgeries ... two rich kids who wanted the best in everything. Of course, it doesn't always turn out the way that we want it to be but somehow through it all, he had always been there."

She paused as she hugged the pillow closer to her chest before gathering her thoughts again. Faith waited.

"You have to understand no matter how much we bicker or compete, John is the perfect gentleman. He has certain charm that makes woman feel special. His smile alone, makes you think that you are the single most important thing in his life. He has been there for everything. I ... well ..."

She paused as if to gauge the other woman's potential response. In all fairness, they were only acquainted for this one night alone but Jing-Mei realized that this was something that needed to be said. "I was pregnant before, but the father of the baby was somebody who my family would never approve of. I could just hear my mother now, telling me about bringing shame to the family name. I wasn't ready, even though, I was at the point of my life where I could comfortably support a child. Instead, I gave Michael up for adoption and it was probably one of the hardest thing that I had to do. John had been there through it all, in fact, he was my labour coach. Nobody except for him knew the entire truth behind the pregnancy and as far as I know, it had been our secret to keep."

Faith had been surprised. She did not initially peg Jing-Mei Chen to have been a mother before. However, she realized that she completely understand. "I know what it's like to give up a child. After Emily and Charlie, I knew that I didn't want another child. As much as I loved being a mother, we just couldn't afford to. Money was always so tight and I wouldn't be able to raise another child to be best of my ability, so I had an abortion. I told Fred that I had a miscarriage on the job and it was probably the biggest secret that I kept from him. Bosco, of course blamed himself, but it wasn't his fault. It was my choice, because I knew that despite all the love that I could give, I wasn't able to raise another baby."

The two women felt silent. No words were needed as they weighted the gravity of the situation. There needed to be no justification on either side because they both did something that they had both felt justified at the time. They themselves were their own judges and were living the consequences.

It was a long time before Jing-Mei found voice to ask the question that both women had been secretly longing to ask. "Do you ever regret it?"

"I have a lot of regrets in my life, but I can't turn back time. I remember the first time that I met Bosco. One of the first things that he asked me was whether or not I was a mother. A bizarre thing to ask but so typical of him. He told me that I looked like a mother and of course, I don't know whether to take it as a compliment or an insult, but that's Bosco for you. He is not the perfect gentleman, in fact, the two words don't belong in the same sentence. Bosco is a guy; he's a cop but he is loyal. He gives up a part of himself to the people that he trusts. He is my partner and there is no other person that I would trust more with my life. Each time I get into the 55-David, I know that Bosco will give everything to keep me safe and I would gladly to do the same thing for him. Then again, the first thing that he comments about me is motherhood. I love my kids and it breaks my heart for Fred to assume that I would knowingly put them in danger."

"You miss them and Bosco too." Jing-Mei said softly.

Faith gave a wry smile and ruefully remarked, "And, I'm sure you miss _him _as well."

End of Part XI

* * *

AN: Just a short one, hope you guys enjoyed it. The lyrics from the beginning are from the song, Unfaithful by Rihanna, which doesn't belong to me.


	12. XII An Outsider’s Interpretation

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: The lyrics that are used in the beginning, are from the song, What's Left of Me, by Nick Lachey which doesn't belong to me.

* * *

Part XII An Outsider's Interpretation

_Watch my life,  
Pass me by,  
In the rear view mirror  
Pictures frozen in time  
Are becoming clearer  
I don't wanna waste another day  
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes_

Nick Lachey - What's Left of Me

He looked up from the task at hand and glared at the door. The doorbell sounded once again and he resignedly thanked the high graces that a potential disaster had been adverted. Quickly, before his luck went out, he opened the door to admit a casually-dressed John Carter.

"Carter!" he was surprised. His tone and facial expression reflected this.

"Luka, can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," the Croatian opened the door further. For a moment, Carter smiled at the sleeping bundle that Luka was holding.

"Feeding time?"

"I was trying to, but Sophie tends to fall asleep on me during a feeding."

"So, I take it that things are going well for you guys?"

Luka nodded as he gestured for Carter to take the sitting-room couch, while he sat himself down in the adjacent rocking chair. Then, he repositioned Sophie into a more comfortable position on his arm to resume feeding. "We are doing very well but still, Abby needs time to rest too. The twins can be handful. I help out by bottle-feeding. Once Sophie is done, then Alex will cry for attention too. That's why I was worried that the doorbell would wake her up."

Carter smiled at Luka's pet names for his twin daughters, Sophia and Alexis. He watched for a moment before Luka broke the silence. "I didn't get a chance to thank you."

Carter looked up in surprise, "For being there for Abby. It was a trying time and I came as soon as I could, considering the circumstance."

"Nobody can fault you for that and I know that we have a fair share of differences."

"But for all our sakes, I hope we can get pass that."

Looking at the tentative picture that Luka painted with his daughters, Carter could not help but adding, "I think that we already did. I am truly happy for you, Luka, all of you."

At this, Luka asked, "Would you like to hold Sophie for a while? I'm going to go wake Alex and feed her because I know she is going to get fussy very soon."

Reaching out, Carter knew that Luka and him had at last bridged their differences. When Luka returned with his other twin in tow, he stopped short at the entrance of the sitting-room. Carter had the most enchanted look on his face, as he cooed and rocked Sophie in her sleep. In hushed tones, Carter was humming to the infant. It was a soothing melody and Luka could not help but ask, "What song is that?"

Carter was startled but he continued with his humming until he was satisfied with the sleeping baby in his arms. "It's Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. After Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, it was one of Deb's favourites."

At the mention of his wife's name, Carter fell silent. Though Luka hated gossip, he could not help but ask, "How is Jing-Mei?"

"She's in NYC right now, as the temporary Chief Resident at the Angel of Mercy Hospital."

"I heard that she left County but I didn't know that was the reason. Well, congratulations. She will make a great Chief Resident."

"Yeah, she's the best."

"Why do I sense a but statement?"

Carter hesitated but Luka was quick to put in, "Nevermind Carter, it's none of my business."

"Deb and I didn't leave on a good note. In fact, we haven't had a real conversation for almost two months, just some impersonal emails."

"What happened?"

"That night, when Abby gave birth to the twins, it was our four-year anniversary. I had a whole big thing planned out, but ..."

"You were with Abby that night."

Carter nodded, "But, that wasn't all. She left a note saying that I haven't been there for her either physically or emotionally. She felt that she had somehow lost her husband in the process ... I don't know anymore, Luka."

"I didn't realize that the pregnancy had caused a rift in your marriage."

"It wasn't yours or Abby's fault and it certainly wasn't the pregnancy that caused a rift."

"Do you love her?"

"Who? Deb?"

"No, I mean my wife. I need to know, Carter, whether or not you still hold the torch for Abby."

"No. I have nothing but utter respect and friendship for the both of you. No matter how much of a past that I had with Abby, it is the past. I love Deb. I think a part of me always have even before we got together and I always will."

Luka seemed to accept the answer but not before he ventured an admission of his own. "I'll be a fool if I didn't wonder about the what-ifs. At the end of the day, I wonder if Abby still holds the torch for you. Over time, I have come to accept the fact that no matter how much she denies it, there will be a place deep down that she has reserved for you. I can't begrudge that because it is as you say, that is the past. We all come with a bit of baggage, a bit of history. What Abby and I have now is a wonderful future and our two girls will be a part of that. I don't take it for granted, so each day I tell her and show her how thankful I am to have these women in my life. The question which concerns you, Carter, is whether Jing-Mei knows this."

"I tell Deb that I love her all the time."

"Humans are strange creatures, Carter, and love is a complicated element. I don't pretend to be an expert on it but telling somebody that you love them is sometimes not enough. Jing-Mei says that you haven't been there for her physically or emotionally. You have to ask yourself if the situation was reverse, what would you say?"

"Sometimes, by necessity, we can't be there all the time."

"We are all doctors here. None of us need to be told twice that we have crazy lives. We just have to figure out the priorities. It comes to choosing between the work where you have thousands of lives hanging on the balance or the one person with whom you are in love with. I found that it helps to have somebody who understand your needs and wants, but you yourself know that we can't have our mind set on changing and fixing everything. It's all about compromise."

It was at this point of the conversation that Abby returned from her outing. She carried with her a couple of shopping bags and groceries. Like Luka, she was surprise to see Carter in her sitting room, rocking little Sophie to sleep. However, she was gracious in her welcome, as she kissed both Luka and Alexis.

"Carter," she said in greeting.

"Abby. How are things?"

"Everything is going really well. Were you here long? I just spent the day with Sam. We were out shopping."

"No, don't worry about it. I just came by to say hi."

"Well, I have some takeout, maybe ..."

"No, I better go before I overstay my welcome."

Both Abby and Luka insisted to have Carter join them, but he was equally adamant on leaving. "Take care," he said as he set Sophie in her crib.

"Carter," implored Abby.

He leaned forward and placed a quick chaste kiss on Abby's cheek before murmuring a word of thanks to Luka. The Croatian could only nod, while returning a silent good luck of his own.

End of Part XII


	13. XIII The Sounds of Twilight

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: I just want everybody to know that in this story, Carter's marriage to Kem and them having a baby never happened. You can assume that Carter did go to Africa with Luka.

* * *

Part XIII The Sounds of Twilight

_Oh brother I can't, I can't get through  
I've been trying hard to reach you, cause I don't know what to do  
Oh brother I can't believe it's true  
I'm so scared about the future and I wanna talk to you  
Oh I wanna talk to you  
You can take a picture of something you see  
In the future where will I be?_

Coldplay - Talk

Nobody ever said that rebuilding a marriage was easy. It was ever harder for changes to happen, if the parties involved were at a lost as to what changes were needed. Coming home from the Kovac's household had given Carter a different perspective in his life. Despite all the prior teasing from his fellow coworkers, marriage had definitely been a step-up in his personal life. It had given him stability and new purpose in life. Deb was somebody who understood his position in life, both past and present. It was the future that was a different story.

Seeing Abby and Luka with the twins had added to substance to concept of fatherhood. Holding little Sophie in his arms, had given him pause for thought. The last time, he had held an infant so tiny, was Deb's son, Michael - the child that she had given up for adoption. More than ever, he wanted to go home to talk to Deb, to tell her about his ambivalence, partly joy and partly bittersweet remembrance. However, there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be a father and a husband.

He sat down in front of his laptop and began typing. He respected the fact that Deb wanted space and privacy, so they both limited phone calls with each other. Sometimes, he found himself calling her cell phone, just to hear her voice on the voicemail. Other times, he would find his answering machine blinking, indicating new messages, only to find a dial tone and his Caller ID displaying an out-of-state number.

So instead, he resorted to writing emails. Some of them ended up being impersonal, just reiterating his day. Others were just humourous, a joke or two that Jerry and Pratt had been working on, which he would remember to share it with Deb. There were some that were personal - the modern love letter from husband to wife, where he jotted down some of his private thoughts and musings. He would click the little 'Send' button on the top of the screen, not really expecting a reply before he would go on to begin another day in the ER.

_Are you lost or incomplete?  
Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?  
Tell me how do you feel?  
Well I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak  
And they're talking it to me_

Sometimes, she felt guilty that she was neglecting the fact that she had another life in Chicago. Here in NYC, she found herself falling in love with "the city that never sleeps." She was benefitting from her friendship with Faith. If truth be told, Jing-Mei had never develop strong female bonds with those at County. There was too much drama and interlinking relationships that sometimes made friendship difficult. Faith, was on outsider without prior knowledge of her life in Chicago.

Likewise for the blonde herself, Jing-Mei was a source of intelligent conversation and companionship. They had unspoken boundaries in terms of professionalism, at work and afterwards. It was a time that Faith needed a solid support in her life as she dealt with the divorce, the child custody battle, the fallout with Bosco and his subsequent 'abandonment' to Cruz and Anti-Crime, and writing the Sergeant's Exam. The women tried to bring different perspective to each other's marital problems. Sometimes, it was easily to solve other people's problems, rather than facing your own.

Jing-Mei was convinced that she needed to at least call John. However, when she actually dialed the familiar numbers, she found herself faltering. Seeing the relationship between Faith, Fred and Bsoco, it wouldn't be the first time that she was doubting her decision for an abrupt departure without giving John a chance to explain himself. After all, she knew of her husband's fidelity after their marriage, so who was she the judge to differentiate the line between pre- and post-marital friendship?

So, she would call her Chicago home, only to hang out up hearing the answering machine. She never left a message. What she wanted to say should really be spoken to a person, and rather than hearing through a machine. When she finally checked her email, she was shock to see her inbox flooded with messages from John. Looking at the dates, she found them to be consistent. He emailed her once a day, and sometimes more. His signature at the bottom would be the same, _"Forever yours even when you are far away, John."_

It was so sentimental and thought-provoking. She spent the next couple of hours or so clicking through all of the unread messages and reading them. Some of them were just an reiteration of things that was happening in the ER.

-o-o-

"**A series of trauma came in today and but turns out that one of the patient was some new doctor that was posing as a patient. Clemente was his name and Weaver clearly wasn't pleased with his new tactic..."**

-o-o-

"_Pratt played a practical joke on Morris the other day. Whatever it was, the whole staff lounge reeked for three days. I think I have to buy a new lab coat and a stethoscope after this..."_

Others were almost equivalent to diary entries into his private thoughts. These were the ones that Jing-Mei found herself re-reading.

-o-o-

"**As much as I say that I needed a new stethoscope, there was too much sentimental value in the one that I used right now. It went back to the days when Mark was still alive. I took his, you know, after his death. I remember my first year here. Everybody was so worried because I cared too much. I put so much of myself into work, but I was too emotionally immature. Now how many years have passed, and here I am ...**

**Do you remember the first day of medical school? We had such ambitions and high hopes of saving people, contribute to the greater good of humanity. Textbooks never told us about the emotional toil. No matter what anybody says, it never gets easier."**

-o-o-

"_Is it true that New York City never sleeps, then, I wonder if it is also a city that never dreams... Just a thought, I don't know what made me say that? _

_I miss you, Deb, even though I know you to be a fantastic Chief Resident at Mercy. The position here at County, should have been yours long ago. You knew that I would have given it up for you, if only you would stay. In retrospect, I think even back then, a part of me loved you and respected you for the wonderful person that you still are..."_

-o-o-

"**I found something on Ebay yesterday, which I think you will like. You should be receiving it in a couple of days. Don't worry it isn't lavish or extravagant! I remember that I had practically bribe you to accept the grand piano, but I don't regret a single cent of it. **

**Did I ever tell you that I fell in love with you all over again, every time I come home late at night to hear you playing the piano as if nobody was watching?**

**No - I probably never did. Even on that night, when I saw your head bent over the keys, your eyes closed to the world, but your hands knew exactly which notes to play, I knew that my heart was yours for the taking. You have no idea the power that you have over me, Deb."**

-o-o-

She cried then at the honest words. He was laying his heart out to her, no pretensions and no pressures for her to reciprocate right away. She had indeed received his gift - a music box that doubled as a jewel case. Her focus wasn't on its design because her heart was too enraptured by the alluring melodies of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

End of Part XIII

* * *

AN: Bits of lyrics from the song, 'Talk' by Coldplay were used, which doesn't belong to me. 


	14. XIV My Achilles Heel

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: The **rating is up to a T** for this chapter because of mature themes. You have been warned.

Also, since it has been a while that I have seen Third Watch, I had taken a lot of poetic license in regards to the sequence of events in the series. Hopefully, it will still make sense by the end.

* * *

Part XIV My Achilles Heel

_Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why.  
Without you it's hard to survive._

Cascada - Every Time We Touch

Bosco had been hurt, more than he would admit at Faith's rejection. He had been scared to know that she and Emily had been one of the hostages in a bank robbery. She blamed him for the wedge that tore her marriage with Fred apart. He was immature, brash, and too hot-headed. He said things that more often than not, pushed all the wrong buttons and provoked somebody. He had faced rejections many times in his life. One of which was when he found out that Faith kept from him the fact that she was battling cancer. However, there were other childhood scars that he didn't need to dwell upon, but losing Faith this time around, for him literally meant losing faith in the world.

That's why he turned to Anti-Crime. He thought that he could just forget nearly ten years of partnership in the 55-David. Cruz was more than willing to share his bed. They were fierce and rough and at least, during the night, he didn't have to remember. But by morning, everything was still the same.

Cruz had a reputation. She caught the worst out of the bad guys, led some of the biggest drug bust. Some of NYC notorious gang crackdowns had her name attached to it. Bosco knew why and loathed it. She struck deals with those lower in the hierarchy, smudged some reports and then waited and baited. She was shady in every sense of the word but didn't bat an eyelash. It was all part of the bigger picture was what she told him. She made a lot of enemies along the way, but she reined them all in with the flaunt of her body and piercing smoky eyes.

However, the one that she wanted was David Mann who personified the rich and powerful. He was allegedly linked to a series of murders, drug dealings and human trafficking. Yet in true form, the law couldn't touch him for the lack of evidence, which did not provide enough basis to grant a court-issued warrant. With a few choice words from high-paid lawyers, Mann was often released before the cops could even utter, "You're under arrest."

Cruz had a personal vendetta with Mann. Her sister, had been killed by one of his thugs, after she spent years hooked on heroin that Mann and his minions were smuggling into the country. Cruz consequently, brought Bosco into her world, because his signature were on every report that were submitted. She pressured him with the promises that Anti-Crime was going to bring him fame and glory. She knew how to boost his ego but in order to do so, he had to do exactly what she ordered. In the general scheme of things, she was still sergeant and he wasn't.

-o-o-

She had passed the Sergeant's Exam, with one of the top ten marks out of those who had taken it. Tonight had been her night for the ceremonies. She scanned the crowd for the familiar faces of her family but was disappointed. Fred had not bring the kids. The divorce had been finalized and she heard from Emily that Fred was already seeing somebody new. "She's not you, mom."

Hearing from Emily had been comforting, especially now, she was sharing custody with Fred. Charlie was on a school field trip, so she couldn't talk to him. Though there was some consolation in the fact that Sully and Davis were in attendance. Lieu was also there, very proud of the fact that somebody from his force was going to walking across the podium. Jing-Mei was also there and she was clapping just as loudly from her seat beside Davis.

Sergeant Faith Mitchell, she had gone back with her maiden name since the divorce. She was sorry that Bosco could not be there for tonight. She would have given up everything if it meant that she could go back to the 55-David with him. However tonight, he was set off to pull one of the biggest bust on Mann since his presence was known in NYC. Cruz had gotten, what she called an anonymous tip and built a compelling case before the courts. She had gotten the necessary search warrants which gave the green light for various units from the Anti-Crime to conduct simultaneous raids in the city.

After the congratulatory remarks, Faith was left outside in the New York night chill. Jing-Mei had an early start to the morning, so she was going back to the apartment to sleep. 55-Edward were going to finish what's left on their patrol, after giving Lieu a ride back to the station. She had declined their offer for a ride, but as she started for the direction of the subway, she was surprised by the familiar voice coming from behind. "Faith."

Turning to the source, she said, "Why are you here, Bosco?"

To him, the answer was so simple, "Because, I have nobody else."

From the moment that he called out her name, she knew that she could never turn him away. No matter how much they fought, or what words were exchanged, he was her weakness. Still, she had to try, "Please Bosco, don't do this."

"Faith, just help me with this. Then, I won't bother you ever again. I would even transfer to another precinct for goodness sakes!"

She never knew how much of a foil she was to Bosco's existence, but from that sentence alone, she had glimpse of what he would do for her happiness. So looking up to meet his eyes, she told him the inevitable.

End of Part XIV

* * *

AN: Sorry, this was a short chapter. The lyrics used were from Cascada's song, "Every Time We Touch," which doesn't belong to me. 


	15. XV The Part of You that is Me

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: Lyrics from parts of Bo Bice's song, 'The Real Thing' were used which doesn't belong to me.

* * *

XV. The Part of You that is Me

_Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot  
tell me it's the real thing  
Tell me not to change and always be the same,  
tell me that's a good thing  
Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait  
Tell me that you want the same things as me  
Tell me that it's fate driving me insane  
Tell me it's the real thing  
That keeps me hangin on_

Bo Bice - The Real Thing

Jing-Mei had a late night where she had attended the promotion ceremonies downtown, where she saw the newly promoted Sergeant Faith Mitchell. She had cheered and clapped loudly with other members of the force, including the partners of 55-Edward. Now, she was due for the midnight shift at Mercy and her body was running on excess adrenaline from before. If her performance was altered in anyway, nobody said anything about it.

She had emailed John just before going to see Faith. She was nervous and had trouble formulating her sentences. She thought that it was small graces for the delete button on her keyboard. Finally, she resorted to a small note.

"**Dear John,**

**I feel as though I can see the moon descending towards Lake Lucerne - the longing and the hopeful sentiments. Thank you for the gift. Yours, Deb. (1)"**

When John read her message later on that night, in the middle of shift, he got mixed feelings by her words. Clearly, she appreciated the gift, but what did she mean by longing and hope? However, he didn't have a chance to reply back when Pratt waved him over for an assist in Trauma room 2.

-o-o-

Jing-Mei did expand on her cryptic message from before. The words haunted her - the longing and the hopeful sentiments. Why couldn't she just tell him that she misses him as well? It had been so easy for Faith to point it out to her, that first night in her apartment. So, she began to type. A bunch of incoherent thoughts and sentences filled half the email, before she pressed down on the backspace button. Then, she got the inspiration from reading on his messages.

"_Even though NYC is a place that never sleeps, they are wonderful daydreamers. They dream of things, both real and ideal. They too, hope for love, wish for love and misses love."_

His reply was almost immediate.

"**Do you, Deb? Have you fallen in love with New York?"**

She was surprised at the quick response. She imagined that he too, was checking his emails. She blushed at the intimacy of the interaction. It was one of the few decent 'conversations' that she had with him in recent memory. His implications were clear and it was her turn to be honest.

"_Yes. In the process, I found myself missing you - my husband, my best friend, my equal. As much as I have fallen in love with New York, my heart will always be faithfully yours."_

"**I love you, Deb. I realize that I don't say it enough, but I miss you these past months. Please say that there is second chance for us."**

"_Do you still love Abby, John?"_

A single line and Carter realized the answer could determine their ultimate happiness. He had tried to suppress the lurch in his stomach after reading that Deb missed him, probably just as much as he missed her these past months. There was no doubt that he trusted her to be faithful despite their lack of physical proximity. He thought about the conversation with Luka that one time at their apartment, before typing an email response. He tried to imagine Deb, wondering if she was waiting in anticipation for his response.

"**Believe it or not, Luka asked me the same question, the answer was and still is no. I don't love her but I have the utmost respect for her and Luka. But, in the same conversation, Luka made me realize that we all come with a little bit of baggage and little bit of history. Perhaps, a part of me will always love her, but I can't change what is in the past. What is important to me is you, because Deb, you are my future, not Abby."**

She saw the honesty in his words. She thought about the single piece of correspondence that she found at the bottom of his drawer. Clearly, it was something that wasn't meant to be found or posted to the intended person.

Perhaps, that's why you'll never get this letter, because I do love my fiancee, just not in the same way as I love you. But know this, you will always have a special place in my heart, Abby Lockhart forever and always. -Carter.

Those were his words and she could never alter the period of his life that he shared with Abby. Just like the fact that Fred Yokas could not change the part of Faith Yokas that she shared with Bosco. Their marriage failed largely because there was little love left in the relationship and neither side could compromise. However, Jing-Mei realized that she and John had a chance.

"_My future is with you too."_

End of Part XV

* * *

AN: I know that it was really short, but I think that separating the Bosco/Faith scene from the email exchanges between John/Deb works out better.

(1) Moonlight Sonata wasn't originally call this, rather, its original title was "Quasi una fantasia" (Almost a fantasy). The unofficial title came from Ludwig Rellstab who wrote that the sonata reminded him of the reflected moonlight off Lake Lucerne.


	16. XVI The Longest Night

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: I claim no knowledge about the workings of the police force. I apologize in advance for the whole bunch of rubbish that you are going to read, but please be patient. Stick it through until the end, because the story is coming to a close.

The **rating is up to a T** for this chapter because of mature themes. You have been warned.

* * *

Part XVI The Longest Night 

After the divorce, Fred, naturally took his truck, and went to live with his mom. She moved out of the old apartment, to something smaller and closer to the station. Whatever was left from her savings and the extras from her divorce, went towards a down payment into a second-hand Jeep Cherokee.

It was less conspicuous than Bosco's blue Mustang. Wordlessly, Faith led the way to her vehicle and handed Bosco her keys. The decision became second nature after so many years of working together. They fought for the keys often, but usually Bosco was the one who ended up driving anyways. Liked so many things, it became part of their daily ritual while patrolling in 55-David.

Their current ride was silent - she was coming along with him and no, he didn't have to transfer to another precinct because of her. She didn't add the fact that losing him to another station would be a severe blow to her psyche.

About ten minutes into the ride, the silence was interrupted. "I know that this doesn't mean much right now, but I'm proud of you, Faith."

"What do you mean?"

"You, becoming a sergeant. I know that you are too smart to be just a regular beat cop like the rest of us."

"You were there?" Surprise, but she couldn't help but feel her previous disappointment going away. Of all the people that she really wanted to be present tonight, it was him.

"Yeah, I was standing in the very back and came in just in time to see Sergeant Faith Mitchell walk across the stage."

Hearing him referring to her by her maiden name sounded awkward. From the moment that they first met at the academy, they had been Yokas and Boscorelli. Then, they fell silent, before she ventured to ask, "Where exactly are we going?"

"We set up a surveillance team at the Sheraton Hotel, Downtown. Cruz had wanted the phones tapped and cameras set up - you know the whole nine yards at every stakeout spot. She wanted this to go down in the books. She ordered eight warrants, but I know for a fact that she had plans tonight for seven of eight. The last one was for Yoshi to investigate."

Yoshi could be considered Cruz's right hand man. The Japanese man had been undercover for several international drug rings, so he was a source of a lot of insider information.

"But, Yoshi requested three days off for some dead relative's funeral," she interjected.

"Exactly. It is rather convenient, really. She has her search warrant, but the place won't be wired or tapped. We can only take her word for what happens."

"You do know what this means."

"We are going to the Sheraton to find out where the last stakeout spot is. That's probably where Yoshi is and we'll probably find Cruz there as well."

-o-o-

Despite the fact that Bosco had been kept out of the loop for one of the biggest crackdown operations, he did know which hotel room the surveillance team had set up their equipment. By this time, it would probably be abandoned as each team were dispatched to their designated locations.

Years of working together had honed their skills to a perfection. Bosco started on the right, while Faith veered to the left. Their weapons drawn, but held in a relaxed position. Rummaging through piles of paraphernalia, they weren't sure what they were looking for, but they would know it when they came across it.

However, their silent sweep of the room was interrupted by the clicking of heels coming from outside the hall. The lock to the hotel room jiggered to indicate somebody's entrance. Bosco's eyes caught the hazel ones of the blonde in front of him and they hastily found various positions in the room to hide.

Cruz entered the room with a cell phone in her hand. She was muttering to herself as she waited for the other person to pick. Her free hands lazily pushed away papers that Bosco had just been previously searching. "C'mon Yoshi, pick up!"

The Latina sergeant was walking near the position that Faith was hiding underneath the couch. Bosco watched in baited breaths and prayed that she did not decide to sit down. She paced the length of the couch, while cursing under her breath.

"Yoshi! You better have good news for me," when somebody picked up on the line.

It seemed that Yoshi had pulled through after all, as Cruz listened and nodded for a few minutes. She then moved away from the couch to one of the drawers at the far side of the room. Her back was turned so none of the officers from the 55-David could see its contents. Cruz left the hotel room with these words, "I'll get you tonight, Mann for everything that you've done to my sister."

-o-o-

A Jeep Cherokee followed Cruz's sleek Monte Carlo down the streets of New York. They were making for one of the richer parts of town, away from all the industrial and business high-rises. Yoshi had gotten a heads-up that Mann was making his escape tonight. Maritza Cruz had no plans of arresting Mann tonight, in fact, she had planned on killing him before he had a chance to ditch town.

That's why she obtained the search warrant for Mann's estate but never setting up the surveillance. Yoshi's funeral alibi was just that - an alibi that Cruz could use. She was going to assess the situation herself but she didn't want to jeopardize the safety of her team with lack of information. By her investigation, she was going to kill Mann, most likely claiming self-defense on her part.

What happened that night took under ten minutes of actual time, but if somebody was to ask Faith this, she would have say that it seemed like much longer. David Mann was waiting for his personal chopper to pick him up on the roof. Cruz intercepted him just as the helicopter was in sight. "I don't think so. I've worked too hard to let you get away tonight, Mann."

"You have nothing on me, Cruz. You think this will change anything - me being in jail? It won't get your sister back because at the end of the day, I will always come out on top."

The chopper drew closer to its destination, but Cruz was determined. "No, this ends here tonight."

Two shots rang out and a single body fell. Yoshi came out of the shadows with his gun drawn, as he leveled it in the prone body of Cruz. She saw his betrayal as she drew her last breath, he had been playing both sides.

"Good work, Yoshi, but I'm afraid I have no need for your services anymore," Mann was a merciless man. He had no need for more leverage as he drew out his own gun before the Japanese man could utter another sound. He fell lifeless next to the sergeant that he had only a few moments shot to death. This was the scene that Bosco and Faith witnessed from the shadows. However, they had no time to digest everything as chopper loomed closer.

Two guns drawn, they shouted. "Freeze! You're under arrest."

What they didn't see was the fact that from helicopters, one of Mann's minions had pulled out a semi-automatic. As the first several rounds of bullets were released, Bosco made a dive for Faith, covering her body with his own. They crashed onto the floor, in amongst the debris and empty bullets. When the noise died down, all Faith saw was Bosco covered in blood. He did not respond to her frantic calls to wake him up. She began doing chest compressions, staining her hands and lips in the vivid red. In the back of her mind, she heard the faint voices of Mann. He had made it for cover briefly when the shots rained down and now he positioned himself beneath the helicopter.

On impulse, Faith grabbed the fallen weapons next to her. Bosoc's handgun in her left and her own weapon in the right, she began shooting, vowing in revenge for taking her partner's life. It seemed like a hopeless fight, two little handguns against a moving medium. Perhaps guided by faith and so plain luck, one of her bullets shot Mann in his right kneecap, rendering immobile. However, Mann hadn't escape the authorities for so long without a lot of fore-planning. He had initially set a bomb to go off at his mansion, just after his own escape.

Within seconds, a blast erupted from the ground floors and making its way upwards. The helicopter thought it was probably safer to escape the authorities, than rescuing their injured employer. Faith knew that she had to escape now, as the building was going to collapse on itself. There was little hope for Mann even if he did manage to survive the blast of his own creation. Doubling back, she lifted Bosco's body in her arms and ran towards the edge of the roof. She then leapt, aiming for the in-ground swimming pool below, as the building exploded a final time and was engulfed in flames.

-o-o-

She had typed the final email message to John before she was interrupted by the shrill sounds of the phone ringing. Simultaneously, her pager went off. Signing off on email, she answered the call from Mercy. Multiple traumas with a disaster sited in the community, they needed every staff possible.

It seemed that Mann truly wanted to leave New York with a bang before his attempted escape. Yoshi had provided some inside information on both sides for the sake of money, but even he, did not know the extent that Mann was willing to go. While the sting operations were successful, there were already prior plans to hire a professional arsonist to set fire to Camelot (1).

As the fire and paramedic crews responded to the fire, victims were transported to Angel of Mercy Hospital. It was this scene that Dr. Jing-Mei Chen came to. She wasn't in Chicago when the plane crashed just a few blocks from County General (2). However, she imagined the scene would be similar.

It was pure chaos, as stretchers wheeled in victims with various degrees of burns. Other officers were supporting their colleagues on their arms and giving some basic first aid. Those who escaped with minor injuries were treated for smoke inhalation injuries before offering moral support in the waiting rooms. Some were on the phones trying to contact families, and friends.

Jing-Mei never got used to smell of burnt skin. It was one of the few things that got to her in medical school and it affected her still. However, she wasn't given the luxury to find her courage. The victim screamed in agony, partly from the pain and party from the shock. Major parts of the skin were beyond recognition, as the increased surface area allowed for greater evaporation of body heat. Simultaneously, there was rapid shifting of body fluids causing edema and leaking exudate. In cases liked this, the depth and extent of the wound were hard to access. It was always prudent to assume the injury to be worse than it was.

Jing-Mei and the rest of the emergency team rapidly went into a series of choreographed motions. Not only did the wounds needed to be treated, but the patient's condition had to be stabilized first. Shock was setting in, as the blood pressure took a drastic dive. Respirations needed to be maintained as the patient was hooked onto a chest tube. All the while, they had to worry about infection setting in.

She didn't know how many people she treated as she changed gowns and gloves and went from room to room. She knew some of the officers that were brought in, but she prayed that she didn't have to attend to the members of 55-Edward and 55-David - the people that she was closest to since starting here in NYC.

However, her fears manifested itself as voice of Sully broke the maddening pace that the Mercy staff had set. Davis as always, followed closely behind but he was quickly joined by Lieu Swetzsky who was hobbling on a broken foot and was just recovering of smoke inhalation. Two of his best people were fighting for their lives.

The Chinese doctor just wouldn't understand how Faith could have gotten herself in such a state, when they had just hours before watched her promotion to a Sergeant. The blonde was soaked when the paramedics pulled her from the pool outside Mann's burning building. Her clothes were stained with blood, though, they found no shot wound on her. She was stunned by the fall and had swallowed a great deal of water. She was currently unconscious.

Bosco was in worst shape of all. He had already lost too much blood from the four bullets that he took. Much of his face and upper body took the blunt of the shots. One was very close to his jugular vein. The plunge into the water did not help his condition at all. His weakened body was being sent to new lows. Vital signs were crashing and his body was filled too much with fluids that it was hard to keep his airways patent. However, he needed to be stabilize before he could be seen in the OR.

Jing-Mei's attention was divided between Bosco and Faith. She felt that it was part of her obligation not to leave them, so she kept up vigilant watches. She had been the one to bring Bosco up to the OR and assisted with the grueling session that spanned over ten hours. Bosco crashed twice in the interim and it took several chest compressions and defibrillation to bring him back.

By the time she shed her OR scrubs, she could at least bring back news to Sully, Davis and the rest of the crew that Bosco was in critical condition, but the surgery had been successful. She was hopeful because Maurice Boscorelli was strong, but she did caution the severity of his injuries. It was she who personally told Faith about Bosco.

The blonde had collapsed to tears, both in relief and regret. "He pushed me down and took those bullets for me, Jing-Mei. He could have died."

"Bosco is strong and I doubt that he wanted you to blame yourself."

She stayed until Faith cried herself to sleep. Sully came in with a cup of coffee, which she took gratefully. Words were unnecessary and Jing-Mei felt herself in dire need for fresh air. The room had became too stifling.

She took a deep breath when she exited through the automatic doors. Her obsidian eyes closed in a momentarily bliss as she took a sip of a caffeine in her hand. She tried to imagine herself away, but no amount of pretending would allow her to escape the images from the previous hours. Another sip went down, as she was interrupted by a rich baritone voice.

She didn't want to open her eyes for fear that exhaustion was playing tricks on her mind. But, it was no joke because there was only one person in the world who would call her, Deb. Coffee cup fell unceremoniously onto the ground, as her legs gave way. Her body soon followed, catching in the warm embrace that was John Carter.

End of Part XVI

* * *

AN: This is probably the longest chapter thus far and there are two chapters left to the fic.

Also, if there are any Luby fans out there who are still reading this story, go check out Infinite-Ending's Luby story, called "In Paradise," which expands on the universe that was created for the stories "In This Life" and "By Correspondence." It was established that they eloped on a remote island, and "In Paradise" talks about Abby & Luka's wedding.

(1) The precinct was located on the corner of King and Arthur Street. That's why it was nicknamed "Camelot". In this story, Mann had ordered for the precinct to be set on fire.

(2) In my other story "In This Life," Deb was taken an earlier flight out of Chicago and wasn't in the city when the crash happened. I'm just going on the same premise.


	17. XVII The Obvious Truths

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note**: Second last chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Part XVII The Obvious Truths

_Forgiveness is love in its most noble form. _

- Anonymous

She woke up the feeling of being in a warm cocoon. Like a butterfly that was just breaking out of its transformation, she rose to inspect her surroundings. Instead, she found herself wrapped secured in the arms of her husband. The clock on the far wall revealed the time to be five in the evening.

"Penny for your thoughts," said the amused voice in front of her.

"Oh, I think my thoughts are much more precious than that."

"You are much more precious than anything else in this world, Deb." His tone was teasing at first, but he said the last statement in the most serious and most endearing manner.

Her look softened before settling her head back upon his chest. They were in one of the few unused beds at Mercy. It was a rather tight fit for both of them, but John bore it with the greatest patient. He would give anything to have Deb in his arms forever. After signing off on his email, he saw his future to be resplendent and full of hope. He had the greatest urge to see her, and so, gave in to every temptation. Calling Weaver had been difficult but she was understanding when he told her the reason. "I need to get her back, Kerry."

"Then go, John."

Next, he phoned his travel agent and got himself on the next flight to New York, on one of his family's private planes. On route, he had gotten the news of the series of tragedies that had occurred in downtown New York - the explosions, the fires and the subsequent injured parties. His thoughts were on Deb alone.

That's why it was a mixture of relief and happiness to see her walking out of Mercy with coffee cup in one hand and her eyes closed to the rest of the world. He was enraptured by the mere sight of her and he took a moment to reorientate himself after such a long absence. He easily, absorbed the full blunt of her weight collapsing in his arms. She burst into tears, as he buried his face into her hair. A little later, he carried her inside. A nurse directed him to one of few abandoned beds in the ward and there they stayed.

"I need to go find, Faith," Deb later announced. She felt guilty at abandoning her friends for so long.

John reluctantly released his hold on her. "Deb."

She turned her attention back to him and spoke softly, sensing his thoughts without him saying so. "I missed you, John. I've been an idiot and I'm sorry."

"I love you, Deb. I love you and I missed you. I'm the idiotic one who should be saying sorry."

"I'm glad that you are here."

"I intend to stay."

-o-o-

They later found Faith in Bosco's room. She was still recovering from the injuries that she sustained, but nobody could sway her away from Bosco's side. The staff at Mercy knew that both partners rested easier with the close physical proximity. The two women hugged, before Deb went to reassess Bosco's condition and reviewed his charts for the last couple of hours that she was away.

Deb introduced Faith to John. The two shook hands, as the blonde managed a weak smile, "I've heard so much about you. It's good to meet you in person."

"Thank you for everything that you have done for Deb. You have no idea what that means to me."

-o-o-

The resolution between Bosco and Faith came later. For the most part, Bosco laid unconscious. He was recovering slowly. His condition was kept under strict monitoring by the machines and ventilators. Faith kept a vigilant watch, rarely leaving his side, talking to him and holding his hand. She was the one who called Rose Boscorelli, Bosco's mother of her son's condition. Rose had a hard time with hospitals, but still, she was often there by her son's side.

When Bosco finally woke up, his eyes first laid on Faith who was dozing in a chair next to the bed. Her hand was draped loosely over his. There was a tube done his throat, so there was no way he could speak aloud. However, the machines sounded in alarm as his vitals took a drastic jump. Faith woke to the noise and found him to be awake. "Bosco!"

He weakly squeezed the hand that was in his. Jing-Mei quickly came in when she heard the alarms and she smiled at him. "Bosco. It's Jing-Mei. You are Mercy Hospital right now."

She proceeded with some of her assessment questions, asking him to squeeze her hand in response. She left later with the promise of removing the tubes and giving him some more pain medications. However for now, he welcomed the darkness of sleep, knowing that Faith was alright.

Waking up the second time, he had the function of speech again. His mother had cried at seeing him, but that was to be expected. He had truly given her quite a scare. Faith smiled tentatively at him and asked quietly, "Why did you do it, Bosco?"

His throat was perched from its un-use, but he managed to say, "I ...think ... the answer.. Is obvious, Faith."

"You could have been killed, Bosco and it would have been my fault."

"Would ...it ... have mattered?"

Wryly, she used his exact words against him, "I think the answer is obvious, Bosco."


	18. XVIII To Be True NEW SCNES

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note: **Parts of this are from the original epilogue, but there are plenty of new scenes. Enjoy!

* * *

Parts XVIII: To be True

_I never felt true love until I was with you,  
and,  
I never felt true sadness until you left me._

-Unknown

Months after the incident with Mann, Bosco was still recovering from its aftermaths. There were a lot scarring done from the bullets. While surgeries could help cover up some of the physical scars, the emotional ones were not so easily dismissed. Night times were the worst, as he was plagued by the fallen bodies of Cruz, Mann and Yoshi who stared back at him with their haunting eyes. Unidentifiable voices spoke of eternal isolation and sadness. Wispy images floated in and out of his mind, until he could not discern wakefulness or deep sleep. Yet, his greatest fear was losing Faith, where he failed to protect her from the shooting.

He screamed into the darkness and broke out in sweats. A small light had been left lit in his room, until he felt the comforting presence beside him. Gentle hands massaged his tense shoulders and soothing voice of a female whispered into his ear. "It's ok, Bosco. I'm here. I'm safe. Thanks to you."

"Faith."

-o-o-

For convenience sake, she had convinced him to move in with her in her new apartment. The rent wasn't too shabby and it was closed by to the station. She had a spare room, where he could keep most of his clothes and other belongings. She felt safer knowing that he was on the way to recovery and she was constantly at his side for every doctor's check up and rehab session. She held him when the night time demons refused to relieve its hold on him or when insomnia kept them both awake for long hours until dawn.

During that time, she only took on light duties, mostly mundane desk work. She had once vowed to herself that she could ride with anybody else except Bosco. If she had to go back to fully into active duty, she was going back all the way with Bosco. She didn't care for the fact that she now, had a sergeant in front of her name.

The day that the doctors gave the green light for Bosco to return to duty, there had been two surprises. The first was the promotion of Officer Maurice Boscorelli to Detective, on the grounds of bravery and courage. Certainly, the disassembly of Mann and his organization had also been a major factor.

Sully and Davis joked that years of Bosco's hot-shot attitude had paid off in the end and that the "jag-offs" of New York had better armed themselves.

The second event had knocked everybody's breath away, but mostly Faith's. After Bosco got his promotion, he had promptly turned to the woman beside him and got down on one knee. Before all of their fellow officers and members of Camelot, he asked her to marry him. "Make me your partner for life, Faith."

In the midst of tears and boisterous clapping, what answer could she give? She didn't care for his at-times-ignorant attitude or his frustrating impatience. She could look on with amusement as he flirted with some of the younger nurses on the floor. It was part of his charm. Yet, how could she ever doubt the depth and affection of a man who would willingly take four bullets for her?

"Yes, thousand times yes, Bosco."

-o-o-

For Jing-Mei, her one-year contract with Mercy was drawing to a close. However, she had been offered a choice to stay there permanently as the former Chief Resident was transferring to another hospital. While she was ambivalent, the decision was firm in Carter's mind. "Take it, Deb."

"But -"

"No, buts, Deb. It doesn't take much to figure out that you are a fantastic Chief Resident."

"What about you? What about us and Chicago?"

"I can move here, permanently. As for Chicago, I think Kerry knows that she will be needing two new doctors by the years end."

-o-o-

As for Deb and John, they had spent the time reacquainting with each other. During that time, John accumulated more frequent flyer air-miles, than they did in the last four years. It certainly to help a private plane at your disposal and the fact that the Chief of Staff at County General wasn't unsympathetic to your domestic bliss.

Jing-Mei got the courage to tell John about her insecurities about the letter that she had found in the drawer. "I just freaked like I was some hormonal teenage. There was never a moment that I doubted your fidelity, but I had my own fears. The more that I debated them in the mind, the more that I was convinced that I was just some rebound girl or the woman who conquered John Carter."

She was afraid that she had spoken too much. Avoiding his eyes, she wondered what he was thinking right now.

"Oh Deb."

He never knew and for that, he was ashamed. He had taken her friendship and then her love for granted for so long, that he forgot that to say the actual words.

"I love you, Deb. I realize that I don't say the words enough, but to you, I will always be true."

-o-o-

One thing that Deb thought that she should amend was her friendship, or the lack thereof, with Abby. The Chinese woman felt that she had been unfair to the woman who had just so much impact on John's life, prior to their marriage.

One weekend, Deb made a surprise visit to the Kovac's apartment. Abby was there by herself with the twins, when she oped the door to find her there.

"Jing-Mei!"

She had brought gifts with her. Mostly things were Sophia and Alexis. When their conversations became borderline awkward, Deb said, "Abby, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being such a good friend to John all these years. You are a very special woman and I am sorry for being unfair to you."

It took a lot for someone to apologize to her husband's ex-girlfriend and it was equally taxing for the said ex-girlfriend to offer in kind. "Jing-Mei. I know that we are never close, but I hope there is a chance for us to be good friends. Carter loves you. He has his faults, but I think you make them less significant."

End of Part XVIII


	19. Epilogue By Invitation NEW SCENES

Standard disclaimers applied.

**Author's Note:** **Upon rereading this last little bit, I realized that I had not saved the chapter properly, so parts were missing. Instead of trying to recover what I had before, I set out to rewrite and add brand new scenes to lengthen it. Parts of the original epilogue has been moved and rearranged. For those, we have already read the first copy, please, I urge you guys to go back and reread Parts XVIII and XIX.**

* * *

Part XIX: Epilogue - By Invitation

_Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get,  
it's what you're expected to give - which is everything._

-Anonymous

When Pratt went online to check his emails, he found that he had received some expected, yet surprising good news. Since the ER was unusually quiet - a fact that was silently acknowledged by all, he had no qualms of letting out an excited "Yeah!" It was an action that raised several eyebrows and turned quite a few heads. Jerry standing next to him, asked, "You alright, Pratt?"

"Yo man, life couldn't be never better," as he allowed room for the ward clerk to read the computer monitor.

_You are cordially invited to the nuptials _

_of_

_Detective MAURICE LOUIS BOSCORELLI TO Sergeant FAITH ELIZABETH MITCHELL _

_and_

_Dr. JOHN TRUMAN CARTER III TO Dr. JING-MEI CHEN_

Initially, when Bosco and Faith approached John and Deb about their wedding, there weren't any plans for the latter couple to renew their wedding vows. Their excuse was that they didn't want to impeach on their friend's important day. However, Bosco who lacked tactfulness, asked, "So, are you planning to renew them?"

Carter said, "Well, we talked about it, but we're not in a hurry."

"Why not? We don't need all this fuss with planning, booking reception halls, etc, six months down the road. One wedding is enough for me, thank you very much."

Three pairs of eyebrows raised at his rather vehement declaration. He only shrugged and said, "What? Faith, you're the only women I ever planning on marrying. I don't need another women in my life."

Ok, so being subtle wasn't his strong suit, but being spontaneously sweet certainly was.

Anyways, Faith did add her two cents by asking, "Why not?"

"It's your wedding - you and Bosco's. John and I are already married," Deb insisted.

"Who cares? It's not going to be incredibly fancy, just our friends."

"But-"

Stilling his wife's protest by taking her hand, Carter said, "Lets just do it, Deb. Besides, second wedding means a second honeymoon and it will be worth it."

It turned out that Dr. Carter still had enough charms to make his wife blush.

-o-o-

Like their first wedding, this occasion was an intimate affair - mostly friends and families were in attendance. Pratt, Weaver, Ray and Neela flew into New York to witness the event. Luka and Abby could not attend because of the twins but they did send their warmest regards and good wishes. Other congratulations were sent by proxy.

Deb had planned on renewing her vows in her Vera Wang wedding dress. However, she had gotten news that she was already two-months pregnant with hers and John's first baby. In the excitement of the past months, she had missed some of the signs, and apparently, so had John. So, even though the dress was simple in its elegance, it was corset style and therefore, it wasn't as comfortable around the waist.

She however, couldn't wait to tell him tonight, when they were on their second honeymoon. He had been tightlipped about his plans, but apparently, he had Pratt in on the secret. Deb had been unsuccessful in getting so much a clue. At the thought, there was a knock on the door. Pratt had seemingly materialized from her thoughts to the person in front of her.

"Pratt."

"Aw, you are a beautiful bride, Jing-Mei and you're absolutely glowing." Deb wondered briefly, if Pratt, had figured out her secret.

He seemed to go off on another tangent, when he produced a pocket from his pant pocket. "Here, it's from Carter. Goodness only knows why you two, have me playing the messenger."

"Well, he's got you on his big secret about the honeymoon. I will say it is only fair."

"Now. You know I am not the one to be spilling the beans before the whole world knows. Anyways, read the darn thing and lets get this show on the road."

For the second time, she wondered if Pratt had indeed figured out that she was pregnant. Reading the fine script of her husband, she debated whether to laugh or cry.

"_I never thought that I will ever make it this far with the whole marriage and commitment thing. I think about all the things that have gone wrong, but are now made right. There are still parts in my life that are better left to rest in the past, but four years and counting, I am ever so thankful to have you in my life. _

_I love you, Deb and I will forever be yours even when you are only an aisle away, John."_

-o-o-

For Bosco, his primary focus was on one woman only. He suppressed the urge to punch the busybodies who insisted that he was nervous, as he paced the small area where he was waiting with John Carter.

"How could you be so calm?" he finally asked.

"Practice. You have to be calm in stressful situations. When you are a doctor, you can't panic every time you have do a surgery or make life changing decisions on somebody's life. Besides, it helps when you know that you are already married."

"So, you were calm the first time around."

"Honestly, I don't remember much of it, but it goes a long way when the rest of the guests don't know they are attending a wedding."

"I should have convinced Faith to elope."

"I think there are some people who want to see you happily married."

Bosco had to concede to this point. Nobody ever thought that he was going to settle down - always late for roll call, trash-talking at the perps, getting on the nerves of everybody within a three block radius. He was known for his promiscuous flings, but the only person who stuck by him despite all this, was his best friend and partner. She made him want to be a better person and Bosco was determined not to be the shadow of his father. He took a quick glance over at his mother. Rose Boscorelli was to be the proudest of mothers to see her oldest son slipped the ring into the hand of the future Mrs. Maurice Boscorelli.

-o-o-

For Faith, her second wedding had surpassed her first with Fred. She had been really young back then. There wasn't enough money for a honeymoon, before the two moved in together and Faith found herself pregnant. They lived on Fred's part-time checks and his alcohol abuse before she was pregnant again with Charlie and then joining the Academy.

This time, things were different. Not only what she older with two grown children, she was going to marry somebody with whom she had already shared plenty of tears, heartaches and laughter. Yet like any bride, she had gotten something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue.

The new was her wedding dress. It wasn't a traditional style, without its usual veil and train. Instead, it was a Versace classic, empire waist, thick shoulder straps and v-necked. What stood out was the intricate beading that went into the material, which shimmered like brilliant solitaires.

The old was from Emily. She had put together a collage, filled with old photographs of Faith and Bosco at various stages of their lives. She and Charlie was there to see her getting married to someone that they affectionately called "Uncle Bosco." The relationship was going to be awkward at first, but Bosco had always love the kids. He wasn't giving them any pressure, but he only wanted a chance to care for them, as much as he loved their mother.

The borrowed was a gift from the Carters - the use of their private plane. "Just give it back to us after your honeymoon," they had joked at seeing their bewildered expressions. Neither Bosco and Faith had any idea that Carter was "well-off."

The blue came from Jing-Mei herself. This was given in privacy because the scandalous nature of the gift. "I'm sure Bosco would like it."

Faith briefly wondered briefly at the woman's sanity. "Jing-Mei! I don't even want to know how you figure out my size."

"Your daughter, Emily is much smarter than you give her credit for."

"What? Emily? Jing-Mei! You're going to corrupt my daughter!"

"See Faith, not nearly enough credit."

Despite any protest or shuddering images that Faith could conjure in her mind, she ultimately decided that it was a thoughtful act on their part. Bosco's expression had been worth it. Faith felt like she was Aphrodite herself, rather than a once-divorced mother who had already given birth twice.

-o-o-

So, what else needed to be said? To be sure, even the most compatible of couples such as Mr and Mrs. Maurice Boscorelli, as well as Mr. and Mrs. John Truman Carter III, had their shares of ups and downs throughout the years. Their friendship only blossomed over the years of their acquaintance. They had taught each other the valuable lesson that each individual enters into a commitment with their flaws and imperfections. Human natures do not simply change over night without adaptions and compromises. And in the end, hearts will only grow fonder by these experiences.

**The End**

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

For me, this story has been a personal favourite, because I have finally accomplished the goal of writing a genuine ER and Third Watch crossover, coupled with a well-developed Jinter and BoscoFaith romance.

However, I could not have done this without the continual support of the readers and reviewers. I hoped that this story has at least touched some of your hearts. Still, a special thank you goes to AshCarroll and CarbyLivesOn - you guys were my motivation for the last three months.

It started out as an one-shot before spinning to a full length 18-chapter story. The title itself is significant, as a single piece of letter was what became a major catalyst to the subsequent events. Of course, the idea of a correspondence plays a major role to the story because every time a letter / email / some form of communique is mentioned, it signals a change.

I) the initial unaddressed letter from Carter to Abby that Jing-Mei found

II) Jing-Mei gave Pratt a letter, addressed to John which she wrote about her leaving Chicago

III) Jing-Mei received confirmation and accepted her new position in NYC via email

IV) Faith came home to an empty apartment only to find a note from Fred about the divorce, taking the kids

V) the series of emails exchanged between John and Deb was the major transition point in their relationship

VI) the epilogue begins with an email wedding invitation

VII) the final letter that Carter gave Jing-Mei before their second wedding - some of the wording is meant to correspond to the one in the prologue

Besides the physical manifestation of a correspondence, the literal meaning of 'To correspond' where it is defined as 'to agree with something.' serves as major theme. I think Luka said it best in Part XII, _"We just have to figure out the priorities. It comes to choosing between the work where you have thousands of lives hanging on the balance or the one person with whom you are in love with. I found that it helps to have somebody who understand your needs and wants, but you yourself know that we can't have our mind set on changing and fixing everything. It's all about compromise."_

John and Deb have to find out what being married means to them, as Bosco and Faith have to realize what it takes to be partners both of on and off the job.

Anyways, as I wrap this up, I want to give another thank you. I am writing various vignettes which spinoff from my Reela fic "In this Life," in addition, I am giving Jane Austen a try by writing my first modern JA rendition. Check them out as I roll out with new chapters. Much love.


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